Jill Baldwin came home to look for work — and realised she already had her dream job

As a young girl, it was the dusty sheepyards and the rich lanolin-scented shearing shed that shaped Jill Baldwin’s early education. “I can clearly remember wagging school to spend the day working sheep. I’ve always been so fond of livestock, and when I reflect on my childhood, these are the memories that really stand out,” Jill says.

Growing up with two sisters and a younger brother, the 49-year-old describes how their father regularly called on his daughters for help, a responsibility they embraced.

“My Dad was so encouraging of us, despite us being girls, there was nothing he thought we couldn’t do.” Physical strength was sometimes a challenge, but Jill explains that her father always found a solution. “He set up a winch on the back of my ute so I could lift 80 kilogram sheep. He always found a way.”

This formative education provided Jill with livestock skills no classroom could match; skills the capable mother of three maintains to this day. Together with her husband, Rick, she runs the Bundilla Poll Merino stud in the renowned woolgrowing region of Young, New South Wales, where they make an impressive team, tireless in their pursuit of breeding a dual-purpose merino.

Jill’s role in the operation is hands on, and she and Rick can often be found side-by-side in the yards. “We work well as a team: we both have our roles on the farm and in the business, whether it’s with the stud or in the office. We both know what needs to be done.

“I love the farm life as the variety suits me to a tee. I would hate to be in the office doing the books every day and I enjoy the day to day work. My favourite times are lamb marking, shearing and our annual ram sale. It’s so rewarding being part of the cycle year in, year out.”

Despite her cheeky childhood schoolroom aversion, an education did not elude Jill. After boarding school in Sydney she studied sports administration and coaching, and earned a Diploma of Education at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.

But it was the family farm that ultimately called her home. After university, Jill returned to her parents’ property, Geraldra, near Stockinbingal, New South Wales, where her newly minted degrees were soon rendered redundant and eventually superseded by a wool-classing certificate, truck licence and a suite of livestock, finance and marketing courses.

“I came home to look for a job, and very soon realised the job I loved was right in front of me,” she recalls. “I worked there for the next 20 years managing the family’s livestock enterprise.”

Despite growing up almost as neighbours, Jill and Rick didn’t meet until university. The pair married in 2003 and Jill continued to work on her family’s commercial flock while raising their three daughters: Cleo, 20, Lily, 18, and Mimi, 16.

“As a young woman in the late 90s and then as a mother, managing a livestock operation never felt unusual,” she reflects. “My siblings and I were raised to always jump into the driver’s seat. It was a hands-on upbringing that naturally progressed to a career on the land.” Despite the juggle, she cherishes the opportunity of raising her three young girls while working on her family property. “Working at home meant that my parents could help out. They loved being part of the girls’ world and, likewise, the girls loved being part of the farm.”

In 2018, Jill transitioned full time to Bundilla, Rick’s family business, following the Baldwin family’s succession transition. Since then, she and Rick have grown the business significantly.

Today they run 2500 full-pedigree stud ewes and a 3000 head commercial ewe flock, alongside a 1000 hectare cropping enterprise. With some additional land acquisitions, they are proud of what they have achieved.

Describing Rick as a passionate farmer, Jill attributes their success to hard work, long hours and shared dedication. With three daughters now equally confident on the farm, Jill sees a strong future for women in agriculture. “In our own business, there are certainly more girls applying for roles here than ever before, and from what I’ve seen the women in livestock are outstanding. Their finesse and attention to detail are a huge bonus.

“I would never pressure our girls to come home, but the farm is here if they want, and they all have potential. Just like my father, we think there’s nothing they’re not capable of.”

Rabobank is proud to support inspirational clients such as Jill Baldwin, as well as other unsung rural heroines in Graziher’s 2026 Women of the Land diary. Produced in association with Rabobank, this beautiful hardcover diary features important country events and space for all your goals and to do lists. To receive a free copy (valued at $49.99), subscribe to Graziher.