Sam Platts of Nutrien Ag Solutions Bombala has been named Industry Woman of the Year in the 2026 AuctionsPlus Awards.

The win caps off a year in which she assessed 1105 head of cattle and 5749 head of sheep with a 95 per cent clearance rate.

The result places Ms Platts in the top 10 per cent of AuctionsPlus product users and the top 10 per cent of sheep assessors nationally by throughput, along with a top 40 per cent ranking for cattle.

Ms Platts has been accredited with AuctionsPlus for 12 years on sheep and nine years on cattle, and has built her career the long way round.

She joined the Bombala branch, then trading as Landmark in 2001 in a merchandise and administration role, before moving across to the livestock side about a decade later.

“I had aimed to work as an agent pretty much from when I left school,” Ms Platts said.

“I did a bit of merchandise, real estate and stock management for a few years, and just kept slowly pushing to get out and do more livestock.”

When Nutrien took over the business, Ms Platts made her intentions clear.

“They said they wanted me to stay on, and I said I’m happy to stay, but I want to step into livestock,” Ms Platts said.

Born and raised in Bombala, Ms Platts now works full-time as a livestock agent alongside running her own cattle property, giving her a producer’s perspective that clients say comes through in her work.

Attention to detail has become something of a trademark. Ms Platts uses a dedicated $3,000 camera to capture yard photos, switching to her phone only when space or access makes the bigger camera impractical.

“I do take pride in my photos,” Ms Platts said.

“One client also told me I’m a bit softer on his stock, he doesn’t like his cattle manhandled a lot.

“I think that’s just a softer approach that some people appreciate.”

Ms Platts has not shied away from discussing the challenges of building a career as a female livestock agent in an industry still dominated by men.

“There’s a lot of obstacles when you’re a female in the livestock industry, but if you’re determined enough to do it, you’ll be right,” she said.

She points to the physical demands of the job, including mouthing cattle in the yards, as well as attitudes she has had to overcome from some male agents and clients early in her career.

Her advice for young women considering a career in the industry is straightforward.

“Just get in and have a go,” she said.