Our Board

Nathan operates a family farm with his wife and two children at Paloona on the Forth River, producing processing potatoes and store calves for the local fattening market.

He also currently works as a part-time agricultural trainer for TasTAFE. He has been active in farmer representation and advocacy for some time, having been a member of the Rural Business Tasmania Board, Rural Industries Training and Education (RITE) Board, and Proactive Agricultural Safety and Systems (PASS) Board.

Nathan is currently a member of the Safe Farming Tasmania Reference Group, Australian Dairy Farmers People and Human Capacity Policy and Advisory Group, TFGA Vegetable Council, and TFGA Wildlife Policing and Firearms Committee. He was also a member of the Dairy Australia Farm Safety Kit steering and development team.

Nathan also holds a Master’s in Business as well as Diploma qualifications in Safety, Human Resources, and Project Management.

Geoff has been a long-standing member of the TFGA Dairy Council and has served as the Council Chair since 2019.

For the past five years, he has been the Tasmanian representative for the ADF Markets, Trade and Value Chain Policy Action Group, and also represents Tasmania on the ADF National Council and Constitutional Review Committee since 2021.

Geoff is a lifelong dairy farmer, having been raised on the family dairy farm and moving to full-time employment on the farm after leaving secondary school. He took over management of the business in his mid-twenties and has been an integral part of building the farm from a small-scale, 100% family-operated business to the current employee-run multi-enterprise agricultural operation, including two large dairy farms milking 1,700 cows.

Kate and her family live on and run a farm in the south of the state. With two decades of experience as a generalist Human Resources leader, she is deeply passionate about shaping and enhancing workplace cultures.

Kate strives to create spaces where employees feel valued, supported, and empowered. Guided by a strong sense of honesty and integrity, she thrives in workplaces that prioritise people and where actions consistently reflect their importance as the most valuable asset.

Believing in the power of collaboration, Kate is dedicated to celebrating teamwork and driving collective success toward a shared vision.

Felicity Richards is a beef producer based in Tasmania, managing properties across Wynyard, the Tamar Valley, and Flinders Island. A former lawyer and policy advisor, she now leads HR, compliance, WHS, and biosecurity for the family business.

Felicity has extensive governance experience in the agricultural sector, including roles with Harvest Launceston, Primary Employers Tasmania (former President), and the Tasmanian Red Meat Industry Steering Committee.

Felicity currently chairs Farmsafe Australia, the Tasmanian Biosecurity Advisory Committee, and the Tasmanian Livestock Processing Taskforce.

Mr Paul Arnold is a highly accomplished professional with extensive experience in the agricultural sector and local governance. Having served as the General Manager of both Burnie City Council and Circular Head Council, Mr Arnold has played a crucial role in driving strategic realignment and overseeing significant transformations within these organisations.

With a passion for dairy, Mr Arnold has operated multiple dairy farms in the Circular Head area, contributing to the region's thriving agricultural landscape.

Mr Arnold aims to strengthen the collective voice of the agricultural community, addressing the sector's challenges and driving it towards a prosperous future. Outside of his agricultural pursuits, he has actively contributed to the community by serving on various boards, including the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Launceston City Mission.

With a degree in economics, a FCPA qualification, and completion of the AICS Company Directors Course, Mr Arnold brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his professional endeavours.

Ian has been actively involved in Agriculture, Natural Resource Management, Policy formulation, project development, management, and community development over the past thirty years.

He has represented community groups at State and National Government policy level, as well as being a representative of National and State committees and Boards. This has enabled Ian to present informed advice on issues affecting community groups and Government, as well as allowing him to have significant input into the development of appropriate courses of action, evaluation, and implementation of programmes and policy across a range of jurisdictions.

At local and regional levels Ian has been responsible for, and involved with, the development, implementation and monitoring of priority research projects, practical application projects and pilot projects which have successfully secured, from government and private industry funding for their development and execution.

Elizabeth grew up on a small farm at Longford. She studied medicine at the University of Melbourne and is currently working as a GP in Launceston.

She has also worked as a doctor in Hobart, Smithton, regional Victoria and the Northern Territory.

Elizabeth is a qualified journalist and has worked at The Mercury and Australian Doctor.

She was a board member of Epilepsy Tasmania from 2016 to 2018, including the role of Vice-President.

Rebecca grew up on a sheep, cattle and forestry property north of Bothwell in the Central Highlands. She completed her schooling in Hobart and then spent a year on a cattle station in the Northern Territory. Rebecca then attended the University of New England in Armidale to study a Bachelor of Agriculture and a Bachelor of Business.

Since completing her degree, she has worked on an FAO-funded project based in Tanzania, Kenya and Botswana intermittently over an 18-month period, researching methods of estimating livestock productivity data.

Rebecca has also worked as the Compliance and Logistics Manager for an airfreight live export company based out of Brisbane. She now runs a sheep, cattle and forestry operation in Lemont, and a cattle property at Waddamana in the Central Highlands, which is also home to the Cattle Hill Windfarm.

In addition to this, she and her husband Ben run an advisory business, Accelerate Ag, which primarily provides merino sheep genetic advice as well as on-farm and financial management guidance.

Rebecca has a broad range of experience spanning live export, compliance and logistics, corporate governance, farm irrigation development, data management, research, international commerce and of course day-to-day sheep and cattle farming operations.

Before starting his own business, Corey worked for Bramwell Heazlewood from Whitemore and also in central Oregon, where he developed his passion for small seed production.

Corey is the current Chair of the TFGA Agriculture Council as well as the Chair of the Safe Farming Tasmania Reference Group, which has been actively lobbying for a rebate scheme for crush protection devices on quad bikes.

He was also on the committee working with the Tasmanian Fire Service to help minimise the impact of total fire ban days on machinery operations.

Corey’s farming operations include growing vegetables as well as carrot, grass, chicory and brassica seed production, complemented with a prime lamb operation.

Having grown up on the family farm and having been exposed to all things farming over 26 years, Richard knows the challenges and opportunities of farming well. Managing the farming business together with his brother and respective families since 1997 has given him insight into every aspect of managing a farming enterprise.

He has a keen interest in identifying opportunities for the state’s future in agriculture and enjoys being a part of that future through his own business. Richard also has a strong interest in environmental management and sustainability, the use of technology in farming, and how our natural resources are managed.

He is also interested in politics and has worked with all sides of politics in various representative roles over the years. He stood as a candidate in the 2024 Tasmanian State election to represent those living, working and running businesses, particularly in regional and rural Tasmania.

Richard has been the Chair of the Southern Highlands Irrigation Scheme IRC since its inception in 2008 and is a current Committee Member for the Southern Midlands Irrigation Scheme IRC.

He has served on the committee of the Derwent Catchment Project from 2016 to 2022 and is a former President and Treasurer of the Hamilton District Agricultural Show Society. He is also past President of the Bothwell School Association (2014–2015).

Richard brings a broad range of skills to the TasFarmers Board, including financial management, business planning, communications and strategy.