Sometimes the public’s perception of agriculture doesn’t quite fit the reality. For many, when thinking about agriculture, the farmer is often tall, broad – and let’s be honest – masculine. With the number of female farm operators increasing, you’ve got to wonder if this outdated image is about to change.

You may be wondering why we’re doing an episode on women in agriculture, and how that relates to land stewardship. Well, you can’t have land stewardship without land stewards. With women making up 32% of farm operators in Alberta and increasing, we wanted to learn more about what it’s like to be a female producer in Alberta.

Highlights:

• What are the challenges and barriers that women face in agriculture?
  • 5:28 – Alberta beef producer Karen Schmidt
  • 8:31 – Agrologist Karin Lindquist
  • 12:07 – Grain producer Jana von Freier
  • 14:55 – Shiana Younger, cattle producer and RR2CS Community Animator
• What do you think is unique to women that makes them strong stewards of the land?
  • 17:50 – Karen Lindquist
  • 18:25 – Jana von Freier
  • 20:18 – Shiana Younger
  • 21:09 – Karen Schmidt
• In a future perfect world, what’s in place so women can achieve everything that they want in agriculture?
  • 24:52 – Shiana Younger
  • 25:55 – Jana von Freier
  • 26:54 – Karen Lindquist
  • 27:29 – Karen Schmidt

Want to learn more?

Listen to the following episodes:

• Episode 39 – New Farmers
• Episode 41 – New Farmers Part 2
• Statistics Canada: Women working in agriculture
• Canadian Food Studies. (2018). New Farmers and Food Policies in Canada [Article]

Our Farmers Blog is also a great source for stories of producers in Alberta who are going the extra mile with their management practices for the land, food and their communities.