2025 RAS Young Achiever Award Winner, James Stephens
Former Cronulla-local, James Stephens, has proven that you don’t need generations of family farming background to succeed in agriculture, taking out the RAS Young Achiever Award for 2025.
The Award, which recognises future young leaders aged 20 to 29 who are working hard to make a significant contribution to their community and to rural Australia, has been running since 1990.
After completing a Diploma in Agriculture, James established a contracting business managing properties and supporting local farming operations across the Dungog Shire, while also running his own herd of beef cattle.
The popular Gresford transplant explained that, despite being raised in the city, he became interested in agriculture from a young age.
“Ever since I was a little kid, I was always buying the newspaper and seeing where the cattle sales were on at,” he said. “We always used to be going down to a property in the Southern Highlands, and it was never anything else for me.”
In addition to his business interests, James is an active committee member of the Gresford District Agricultural Society, volunteers at community events, and works at Tocal Agricultural College, where his focus is getting more young people involved in their land.
“I’m very passionate about getting people exactly like me that didn’t come off the land necessarily, but are really passionate about it and trying to help them to forge their careers in agriculture,” he explained.
As part of his win, James will represent NSW in the National Rural Ambassador Award in Perth in 2026. There, he will compete with up to eight finalists representing each Australian State/Territory and New Zealand.
