Groundbreakers Program

Elisa Harley is reimagining how we grow, without the plastic. At just 19, she founded Enivo Pots, a startup turning local waste into biodegradable plant pots, tackling the 350 million plastic pots used annually in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Elisa’s innovation is rooted in a love for nature and a drive to create circular solutions for growers. With over $120,000 raised, multiple national and international awards, and more than 10,000 people reached through her talks, Elisa is proof that when industry backs bold ideas, young changemakers thrive.

Jessie Armstrong brings boots on the ground experience and a deep love for the land to everything she does. Raised on a sheep and cattle station in far-western NSW, Jessie’s connection to agriculture runs deep. Over the past five years, she’s worked across rural merchandise, stockfeed and fertiliser imports, pest and disease monitoring, and agricultural extension. Her passion lies in making agriculture more attractive and accessible, celebrating its diversity and championing its future. When she’s not in her 9-5, you’ll find her mustering sheep on a motorbike or hanging off a post driver out on the family property, or driving impact through sub-committees and alumni groups.

Sam Rogers is building the future of livestock farming, from the sky down. A mechatronic engineering dropout, AI researcher, and cattle kid from North Queensland, Sam grew up mustering on motorbikes and saw firsthand the challenges of livestock work. That experience sparked GrazeMate, a startup turning off the shelf drones into autonomous mustering tools, helping farmers save time, reduce labour, and make smarter decisions with instant data. After overcoming a spinal tumour and becoming the youngest Aussie to summit Island Peak in the Himalayas, Sam returned with a fierce belief that most limits are negotiable. He’s placed 3rd globally in AI research, worked with CSIRO, and bootstrapped GrazeMate. Now, he’s all in, bringing cutting edge tech to the paddock.

Jade Luxton is designing smarter tools for livestock care, starting with the needle. A product design student from Christchurch with a dairy farming background, Jade founded Sterineedle at just 17, creating a livestock vaccination innovation that’s practical, user focused, and built to improve animal welfare. Her work blends hands on problem solving with deep empathy for the people behind the process. Through her journey, Jade has grown resilience, self-motivation, and a knack for turning everyday challenges into meaningful solutions. When she’s not studying or building her business, she’s juggling part-time work, club involvement, and exploring the outdoors, always learning, always building better.

Tiarna Scerri is trying to shape the future of animal health, one molecule at a time. A Maltese-Australian PhD student based at the Gulbali Institute in Wagga, Tiarna is designing omic-based antibiotic alternatives to treat bovine mastitis. Her journey into agrifood began at Hurlstone Agricultural High School and has grown into a passion for biotechnology innovation and policy. With a love for cows, a sharp scientific mind, and a drive to make agriculture more inclusive, Tiarna balances research with roles in IP litigation, teaching husbandry skills to vet students, and volunteering on the Camden Show Committee. She’s also a salsa dancer, because science and rhythm go hand in hand.