There is no such thing as an ordinary day for Kate Bourke.

One moment she might be sowing the winter crop, repairing a tractor on Jamie Hamilton’s dairy farm, the next she could be leading a prize heifer into the Sydney Royal Easter Show ring. 

Somewhere in between, she is raising calves, fine-tuning her cattle judging skills, and quietly building a future many young farmers only dream about.

Kate’s journey into agriculture did not begin on the farm. It started in her father’s four-wheel drive workshop, where she completed a full mechanical apprenticeship before stepping onto the land.

“I always wanted to work in agriculture. That was the end goal,” Kate said. “But I wanted mechanical knowledge first, so I left school after Year 10 to get the theory and hands on skills training needed.”

It was a move that now sets her apart. When something breaks down on the farm, Kate can fix it.

Her mechanical know-how has made her an indispensable part of Jamie Hamilton’s team, where she handles the tractor work and machinery maintenance, while her colleague Ebony Wilson focuses on milking the cows.

But it is not just about what happens behind the scenes. Kate is also making her mark centre stage.

Earlier this year, she came runner-up in the Sydney Royal Easter Show dairy cattle judging competition, an achievement that reflects her dedication to understanding livestock and presenting them at their best.

It is a far cry from the early days, when she admits she was daunted by public speaking and unsure of her place in the industry.

“I used to be really quiet. But participating in show competitions helped me so much. It taught me to project my voice, to back myself,” she said.

Photo: Kayley Spowart Photography

When she is not working on the dairy or showing cattle, Kate is competing in horse riding events across the South Coast.

From barrel racing and campdrafting to team penning and stock horse classes, her weekends are packed with adrenaline and horsemanship.

A proud member of her local pony club, Kate has been riding since the age of 12 and now competes at shows and rodeos in places like Milton, Moruya, Braidwood and Goulburn.

For her, riding is more than a hobby, it is another way of living the agricultural lifestyle she loves.

Kate’s approach to farming is practical, hard-working, and quietly ambitious.

She sees agriculture as a long-term career, one built over decades rather than years. 

Like many young farmers, she dreams of leasing or managing a farm one day, but recognises the rising cost of land will make that path a tough one.

“There is a lot of money in genetics, in tractor work, in farming,” Kate said. “You have got to work your way up.”

She sees her involvement in showing cattle, riding horses and competing in farmers’ challenges as the perfect work-life balance, blending passion with purpose.

“It is a lifestyle. You do it because you love it,” she said.

With her mix of mechanical skill, stock sense, and steely determination, Kate is redefining what it means to build a future on the land - one tractor, one show ring, and one quiet triumph at a time.