Mrs Leys began studying agriculture as an elective at school and fell in love with the industry.

She continued her education through university and was the recipient of a scholarship which relocated her from Sydney university to Narrabri as a trainee agronomist.

"I ended up in Dubbo after following my husband there for his job," Mrs Leys said.

"Dubbo is a great town and I really miss it. It has all the great things that Sydney does, but with the great country charm.

"From an agronomy point of view it is a great place to work also, as the types of crops and farming systems taht you are dealing with are many and varied."

A lifelong interest in law inspired her to do a law degree specialising in agribusiness, employment and social media, which Mrs Leys is now practicing in Pymble.

As part of the criteria for the RIRDC competition, Danica was required to demonstrate her potential to achieve and deliver benefits to primary industries.

She showed her devotion to youth in agriculture through her membership on the Committee of the University of Sydney Agriculture Alumni Association, which aims to encourage more young people to consider a career in agriculture.

She is also the co-founder of AgChatOZ, a twitter program with a large following that discusses rural issues.

Uralla's Corinne Annet has also been named a finalist in the competition.

Ms Annett is a goat farmer with a line of goat milk skin products, as well as plans to expand further into the world of goat cheese.

The RIRDC Rural Women's Award is now in its second decade in recognising and promoting women in rural industries.

The state winner will receive a $10,000 bursary to go on a study tour on a topic of their choice aimed at benefitting agriculture.

The winner will be announced at a gala dinner at Parliament House, Sydney on February 21.