Ros Smerdon has been named Queensland Rural Woman of the Year.Former Rockhampton Girls' Grammar School student and Central Queensland University graduate, Rosslyn Smerdon has been named Queensland Rural Woman of the Year and is in the running for the national title next month.

The 34-year-old, mother of 3, heads up the multi-million-dollar Natures Fruit Company, based at the Glass House Mountains on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

With 300 shareholders growing avocados, lychees and custard apples around Australia, Natures Fruit Company handles about 630,000 units a year and was responsible for supplying 10% of the avocados produced in Australia last year.

Since becoming the company chairperson back in 2005, Rosslyn has made a huge impact on the company, moving the growers' cooperative from leased premises to a new purpose-built plant with accompanying avocado farm, improving efficiency and growing the business.

Rosslyn grew up at Ogmore, a small town 200km north of Rockhampton, and attended boarding school and later university in Rockhampton.

While studying a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) degree at CQU, Rosslyn met her future husband, Kerry Smerdon.

"He actually sat in front of me on my first day. He was doing a Bachelor of Business in Accounting, whereas I was doing marketing ... We got married the year after I graduated."

"My degree helped me get my first job in marketing and was very useful in my market coordination role working for Universal Pictures," Rosslyn explained.

"I still use concepts that I learnt from my degree in marketing our fruit in new ways, and looking for new innovative ways to value add."

Rosslyn was also the Business Manager at Nambour General Hospital, before becoming involved in the family farm full-time in 2002. Rosslyn and Kerry operate their own farm, growing avocados, custard apples and macadamias.

Regarding it as her greatest professional achievement, Kerry and Rosslyn have been tirelessly implementing diversification and innovation into their farming enterprise.

They also have a contract orchard pruning business with 2 machines that work throughout South-East Queensland up to Prosperpine and in Mildura, with expansions on the way.

Rosslyn is currently involved in a project which will see her visit Westfalia Estate in South Africa to benchmark the Australian avocado industry with their processing and value-adding avocado operation.