Iona, 25, is from a Pedigree Beef and Sheep farm in Ayrshire and graduated from SRUC in 2022 with an Honours Degree in Rural Business Management. She is currently working towards sitting her APC to become a qualified Chartered Surveyor. Iona works for Blackhall & Powis where she is involved in numerous onshore and offshore renewable projects. In her spare time, she is a keen rugby player for Marr. Her main passion is cattle and always has been, from owning a Pedigree Shorthorn herd to relief milking alongside her full-time job as a Graduate Land Manager.
Iona is an extremely driven individual and works hard to achieve every challenge she sets herself. She has gotten several young people into farming and is always promoting its benefits through word of mouth and connections, or through Women in Agriculture Scotland. In 2022, she was voted onto the WiAS committee where she still stands as the youngest member to date and only Ayrshire representative. She is Vice-Chair and will hopefully be Chair later this year. Iona is a very compassionate individual and always goes above and beyond for everyone, putting herself second. Iona knew she needed to get work experience but due to Covid missed out on some opportunities. She didn’t let this stop her and through completing the Young Farmers Cultivating Leaders course she managed to secure work experience which eventually led to her current role as Graduate Land Manager where her rural knowledge and experience comes in useful. Iona also qualified as a Mental Health Ambassador through RSABI.
Since age 17, Iona has relief milked for several dairy farmers in Ayrshire. When she was completing her degree during Covid, she was milking full-time and it’s really a testament to her work ethic and drive. She never sees anything as a chore and does it with a smile. She also AIs cows and does as much as she can for her employer as she understands the difficulty in getting staff on farms. Iona is described as the most reliable, efficient and loyal person someone could ever meet. Iona has shown several Pedigree herds over the years where she hopes it gives people the ambition to get into showing or even working in the rural sector. Being a role model and someone that people can approach is hugely important for Iona, especially for young girls.
Iona organised a Women in Agriculture Scotland event at the Coo Shed in September 2023 which was a huge success. She had a record attendance and invited TV star and Paralympian Callum Deboys as a guest speaker. Iona is working hard to promote focus groups in areas over Scotland and wants to help women and men feel welcome and have a safe space to attend and speak their views freely. She has also been involved in numerous women in agriculture events including the sell-out breakfast at the Royal Highland Show. In Iona’s professional work, she is working towards becoming a qualified surveyor and takes her work seriously, with great professionalism and pride. She is innovative and organised, and can balance her schedule well, making time for everything and everyone.