“Honoured” and “emotional”. This is how Iva Quarisa described the moment she learned that she would be recognised for her service to primary industry and irrigation management with a Medal of the Order of Australia. 

Iva’s love and passion for agriculture started at an early age. Growing up on her family’s rice, wheat and sheep farm near Griffith, Iva regularly shadowed her father around the property. 

Iva has dedicated her career to the advancement of agriculture and is a vocal advocate for irrigation in particular because of the important role it plays in reducing risk in farming businesses. 

“Agriculture is such a gamble at the best of times. Through irrigation, we can at least cut out some of the uncertainty in farming by not being so reliant on rainfall,” explained Iva. 

Iva believes that one of the greatest strengths of the farming community is our ability to innovate. “Farmers are constantly innovating, regularly doing little trials on the farm. Irrigation farmers have an extra layer of options to experiment with, whether it’s timing or using different watering techniques. They’re always discovering new things,” said Iva. 

A member of our Board since 2015, Iva is proud of the Yenda Group’s cooperative status and she believes that its care for the community is what sets them apart. 

“They do little things behind the scenes all the time, whether it’s supporting a cause, sponsoring a community event or making a donation. They do it without grandstanding, but it’s all to strengthen the local community. It’s an ethos I believe in and I’m proud to be part of the organisation,” said Iva. The feeling is certainly reciprocated as we are tremendously proud of Iva’s well-deserved award. On behalf of members and staff of the Yenda Group, we congratulate Iva Quarisa OAM.