Ms McLean, 34, said the calls by previous council members to improve the social connectness of young farmers led her to believe she had skills that could contribute to the council’s work. 

“That got me interested.

“I thought I could be a good fit,” she said.

Ms McLean said she and her husband had worked to buy their own farm at Purnim, which had given them an understanding of the challenges young people faced in getting into and staying in farming.

The eight-member Young Farmers Advisory Council advises the state government on issues affecting young people in agriculture and on program delivery.

Council members also act as young ambassadors to attract new entrants to the state's vibrant agriculture sector.

New council members were appointed last month following an Expression of Interest process and held their first meeting with agriculture minister Jaala Pulford last month. 

The McLeans’ Purnim farm is not their only experience in farming with Ms McLean coming from a fifth generation farming family at Drik Drik near Dartmoor.

The couple also have a property at Greenwald near Dartmoor that is run as a shared operation.

Ms McLean said her upbringing on the family farm had given her a passion for farming and she aimed to pursue it with her award of an Upskill and Invest – Young Farmers Scholarship from Agriculture Victoria.

The scholarship program aims to address the need for young farmers to continue to upgrade their skills.

It provides young farmers and those who work directly on farm with up to $5000 towards training or study, backed by further funds of up to $5000 to invest on-farm or in professional development.

Ms McLean was one of 13 people to receive a scholarship through the program.

Ms McLean said the focus of her study would be on regenerative grasses and the investment component would be spent on tree planting and establishing nature strips to reduce nutrient loss and provide shelter for cattle.

She has also been appointed to the steering committee for the National Centre for Farmer Health.