Dairy Woman of the Year finalists announced

 They are:

· PGG Wrightson animal nutritionist Andrea Murphy of Alexandra
· Dairy director Wilma van Leeuwen of Waimate
· Southland Demonstration Farm director Elaine Cook of Waikato; and
· Federated Farmers board member and provincial president Katie Milne of Kumara, West Coast

Run by the Dairy Women's Network and sponsored by Fonterra, the Dairy Woman of the Year Award includes a 12-month scholarship to the Breakthrough Leaders Programme run by Global Women New Zealand, valued at $25,000.

Dairy Women's Network chief executive Zelda de Villiers says judges could not whittle down the finalists to just three this year.

"I am pleased to announce that we have another high calibre group of professional dairying women in contention for the 2015 Dairy Woman of the Year title.

"It is going to be tough choosing the overall winner because they all four depict the Dairy Woman of the Year very well. They are strong performing, passionate, influential and intelligent women who are dedicated to seeing the dairy industry thrive for future generations and the whole of New Zealand."

The 2015 winner will be announced at a gala dinner at the Dairy Women's Network annual conference on March 19 in Invercargill.

For more information on the finalists, awards and the conference, visit www.dwn.co.nz