This Mother’s Day, we celebrate Kelly Ostwald, a rural mum and dedicated primary producer who has tirelessly stepped up for her community. Based in Camp Creek, NSW, Kelly runs a cattle and cropping operation with her husband, Dan, while serving as Chair of AgForce Training and a board member for the Isolated Children’s Parent’s Association (ICPA).
Her life is a masterclass in balancing motherhood, high-level strategy and life in rural Australia. Kelly wholeheartedly represents a both challenging and rewarding industry that is equal parts lifestyle and occupation.
As Chair, Kelly focuses on ensuring reliable, up-to-date training reaches every corner of the agricultural sector. She recognises that many rural workers struggle to separate home from the job, which often leads to a relaxed attitude toward risk. Her mission is to educate the workforce because, as she puts it, “safety applies to everyone, no matter who you are.”
Long before the boardroom, Kelly was a mother, teacher and farmhand in far western New South Wales, managing the schoolroom and household during the era of one-way satellite internet.
“When the kids were young, we were living on a big property in a major cotton and wheat farming area,” says Kelly. “I had four children doing distance education and a newborn baby.
“I felt very isolated and I had no assistance with the children. But I just did it. My main priority was my kids and helping out around the farm.”
That experience cultivated deep-seated values of persistence. When the family eventually moved to Camp Creek, jokingly described by Kelly as “the suburbs”, she brought with her a sharpened sense of structure.
“Being a mother in far western NSW was an environment that made me a lot more organised, adaptable and resilient,” says Kelly. “It taught me to see things through and to never do half a job.
“Those are the values I take into my leadership roles today: tenacity and the importance of seeing a project to its completion.”
Today, Kelly’s five children are adults pursuing diverse careers, from investment banking to psychology and agriculture. While her nest is empty, the bonds forged in the paddocks remain the foundation of her world.
“I think all my special moments are rolled up into one – just being and working on the farm with the kids,” says Kelly. “If we were in the cattle yards, the kids were there, too.
“We did everything together. All my kids did the same sport, swimming, simply because I could take them all to the one place. We navigated it as a team.”
This deep understanding of how to motivate individuals is what Kelly considers her greatest asset in leadership.
“Personalisation is key,” says Kelly. “I needed to understand my kids’ different personalities to get the best out of them, and I use that same approach with my colleagues.
“Everyone reacts differently and a good leader recognises that.”
Kelly’s advisory roles are driven by the belief that education is the lifeblood of the rural community. She is a determined advocate for ensuring bush kids have equal opportunities to their city counterparts.
“We are educating the next generation of farmers and farming these days involves so much more than it used to,” says Kelly. “You can’t just go sit on a tractor, there is drone and GPS technology involved now.
“We need our kids to be well-educated so they can bring their professional services back to their local communities as teachers, doctors and accountants. We need them to come back home to keep our farming communities thriving.”
Her commitment to farm safety is equally unwavering. Having raised a family in a high-risk environment, she views training as a moral imperative rather than a regulatory burden.
“I think a lot of farmers don’t think about safety because they think of their farming operation as home rather than a business,” says Kelly. “We need to open people’s eyes to the fact that safety applies to everyone.
“We all want to come home at the end of the day and employers don’t want to see people injured. It’s about highlighting the risks and looking after our own.”
For Kelly, professional success and personal fulfillment are deeply intertwined. She finds the most joy in the quiet moments at the kitchen table when her family returns to the farm.
“Dan and I just sit back and let the conversations roll,” says Kelly. “It’s also really special when they ask me for professional advice.
“They all have their own qualifications and careers, but when they still value their mum’s opinion… that’s when I feel that connection the most.”
As for Mother’s Day, the day provides a moment for Kelly to reflect on the legacy of the women who came before her.
“It makes me reflect on what my mother and mother-in-law do for our family,” says Kelly. “We’ve got such a great family with very special women. It’s a day to acknowledge that strength.”
