Girl power - women in rural roles

If you want evidence that more women are choosing farming as a career, take a look at the list of the finalists in the 2018 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards. Of 11 Dairy Manager of the Year finalists, four were women, with the same percentage of female finalists in the Dairy Trainee of the Year competition. Simone Smail from Southland-Otago took away the Dairy Trainee Manager of the Year award, with another woman, Donna McKinley, placed as runner-up.

COPY

Women have come a long way since the days of his and hers roles on the farm. Gone is the division between ‘women’s work’ and ‘men’s work’; in the 21st century, statistics show there are no areas of agriculture offlimits to women.

According to Statistics NZ, 12,018 women were employed in dairy farming in 2013, compared with 23,856 men. In the specialised beef sector the figures were 6429 men and 3618 women, and in specialised sheep, 7896 men and 3681 women. These numbers, roughly 2:1, hold true when the primary sector (agriculture, farming and fishing) is viewed as a whole.

Emma Lewin is one the 3000+ women who have made sheep farming their profession. Recently named Tararua Shepherd of the Year, Lewin works on a 700-hectare block south of Dannevirke.

Her introduction to farming was helping out on a dairy farm owned by a friend of her mother. ‘‘I thought then – and still think – she’s awesome.’’

When she was 15, Lewin began milking cows on weekends and during school holidays near her hometown of Bulls, and at 16 she took a taster course at Taratahi, which convinced her farming was the profession for her.

Following her studies at Taratahi in Masterton, where she achieved Level 2, 3 and 4 sheep and beef qualifications, Lewin worked on sheep, beef and deer farms in Canterbury and Te Anau, before taking on her current role.

Asked if she ever felt she was entering a male domain, the 25-year-old replies that being part of a group of six females and one male at Taratahi helped set the scene. ‘‘We learned how to farm as mostly girls,’’ she says. ‘‘Sure, we weren’t as strong, but we were determined and we worked hard.

‘‘It paid off because one of the girls in my group took out Top Student of the Year, and I came second. Another girl took out ‘Most Improved’, another ‘Most Dedicated’. The Tararua Shepherd of the Year Emma Lewin works on a 500ha farm south of Dannevirke.

tutors had a lot of respect for us by the time we graduated.’’

Lewin has never felt shepherding is a profession more suited to men. ‘‘Sure, sometimes I’d have a cry and question if I was in the right job, but I got up, and kept going. It was never about my gender, but only about my ability.

‘‘I think women are finding their strength and equality pretty early on in life now, so the concept that ‘that’s a man’s job’ is oldfashioned,’’ she says. ‘‘Girls these days know they can do it, so they do it.’’

While co-workers have voiced surprise at some of the physical work she is capable of – fencing, shearing and so on – Lewin has never encountered sexism at work. ‘‘People don’t care what sex you are, as long as you can do your job.’’

One thing she has observed is the paucity of women in farm management roles. As a result, some of her female colleagues have returned to university to get degrees they hope will lead to jobs in the agricultural service industry. ‘‘They were struggling to progress from shepherd to stock manager on a farm and that was frustrating for them.’’

Female student numbers in agriculturalrelated subjects at Lincoln University have been rising steadily over the past decade. In 2008, 30 per cent of agricultural students were female; last year, this figure was 47 per cent.

Putting female role models in front of students is one of the ways the university promotes agricultural subject choices to prospective female students, says Jaime Shone, domestic engagement manager, student services & marketing. At a recent presentation to school students about primary industries’ careers, all four of the industry panellists Lincoln selected were women.

‘‘We also have numerous female graduates who are high achievers in the primary industries, and many are highlighted in our marketing and promotional material,’’ says Shone.

At Massey University, where female undergraduate and postgraduate students make up 56 per cent of the agricultural roll, students work with industry throughout their degrees to help them make a smooth transition into employment.

‘‘The more women they interact with in those work-experience situations, the easier it becomes for young women to aspire to be leaders and managers and business owners across all aspects of the food production sector,’’ says vice-chancellor Professor Jan Thomas.

Sharemilker Rachael Phillips agrees industry role models are important.

‘‘As I was growing up, my mum always said she never wanted me to go farming due to it being a ‘man’s job’. However, I think at the stage I entered the industry, there were already so many great women farming and being positive leaders in the industry that it wasn’t really seen as a ‘male domain’ anymore.’’

Phillips graduated from Massey University with a Bachelor of Applied Science (Agriculture) and travelled for two years before returning to the family farm near Te Awamutu, where she is in her first season 50:50 sharemilking 240 cows.

She admits some people are surprised when they learn she’s a farmer.

‘‘Especially because my fiance´e works in a ‘town job’ while I run the farm. It’s very common for women to be sharemilking alongside their partners, but quite rare for a woman to be doing it while the male in the relationship works in town.

‘‘But it’s always a positive reaction,’’ she says, ‘‘and they’re supportive of the fact that I’m the one running the show.’’

Phillips (28) believes it has become ‘normal’ for women to be farmers.

‘‘I have many women friends who are farming, ranging from farm assistants to farm owners. It can be seen in the number of women winning awards and being successful in the farming industry. There are also a lot of amazing women contributing to leadership roles throughout the industry.’’

When asked if more could be done to encourage young women into farming, both Lewin and Phillips reply that more could be done to encourage young people into the industry, regardless of gender.

‘‘More needs to happen to promote that farming isn’t just about hard, physical work,’’ says Phillips.

‘‘There are a lot of different aspects to it, including animal health, agronomy and financial management. There are also amazing opportunities in farming to own your own business and build strong equity at a young age.’’

Her key piece of advice to any young person considering farming as a career is to choose good mentors.