''I like to challenge myself and the Southern Field Days will be a challenge,'' Mrs Paterson said.
''I also enjoy event management.''
She took over the job from Nicky Eade, who held the position for several years and has moved to Waipukurau.
Mrs Paterson and husband Laurie, who is president of Hereford Prime, have the 720ha stud sheep and beef Waikaka Station Ltd at Greenvale and four generations of Patersons live there.
They run their Hereford stud ''Waikaka Genetics'', as well as four sheep studs, including a Texel stud, which is hers. She also does her own lambing beat.
Prior to her new job, which she started at the beginning of August, she worked for FMG as a rural manager.
While she enjoyed dealing with her clients, she said she was looking for a change and wanted something that would allow her to spend more time with her grandchildren: Ollie (3) and Emily (16 months).
''I would like to thank my FMG clients who have been wonderful people to deal with.''
The three-day Southern Field Days is held every second year on the Waimumu site in February. It is run by a committee of about 20 in association with the Eastern Southland Young Farmers Club.
Part of her responsibility is handling the applications for sites - which are now ''racing in'' - as well as minute-taking, research and anything else that needs to be doneShe said there were to be 700 sites next year, up from 600 in 2012, and many of the sites would have multiple exhibitors.
The committee also anticipates about 35,000 people coming through the gates, up from 33,000 last time, making it the second biggest of the field days in New Zealand.
She is also in contact with Mrs Eade and previous secretary Bev Catto, of Crookston, for advice.
Mrs Paterson is also studying mediation through Leadr NZ, and a diploma of management through the New Zealand Institute of Management.
She spent nearly three months in Bolivia in 2005, working as a volunteer with women and children and recently returned from holidaying in Phuket, where she rode an elephant, which was ''another thing ticked off the bucket list''.
She also enjoys dog trialling and is secretary of the Maitland Dog Trialling Club.
- Yvonne O'Hara