Recognising Women's Powerful Contributions to the Agricultural Industry
Jul 10, 2023 Posted by Brittany Cunningham
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT LONG OVERDUE
One in three ag workers today are women and, crucially, women produce almost half of real farm income in Australia.
And yet women were not counted as part of the agricultural sector – the Department of Agriculture refused to recognise women as farmers in the national census – until 1994.
Furthermore, women were excluded from agricultural courses until the early 1970s.
Pioneering women
Remarkable detail continues to emerge about the complex and wide-ranging agricultural and horticultural practices of Australia’s indigenous peoples.
Indigenous women walked and worked beside the men, fishing and farming, setting traps and growing and cultivating yams. They would also grind berries, roots and seeds.
Fast forward to the beginning of colonial development in Australia and after wool industry pioneer John Macarthur was forced to return to England in 1809, his wife Elizabeth Macarthur took over the management of their precious merino flocks.
She also managed the burgeoning Camden Park estate and directed sheep sales, fleece improvement and stock care.
Her direction and nurturing of the Macarthur stock was outstanding. During her husband’s absence, the first Macarthur merino fleeces entered the British market. New South Wales was on its way to becoming recognised as a vital centre for wool production.
It was often a tough, physically demanding life for women on farms.
Some would use a yoke to carry water, milk or vegetables. Some made butter, sold eggs, kept chickens, ran market gardens and planted crops. In the 1930s, migrant women were heavily involved in the manual processing and drying of tobacco crops.
Organisations like the Country Women’s Association were vital in bringing women together from remote areas, to advocate on their behalf, perform crucial fundraising drives and provide much-needed support and solace.
Roles for women in ag today
From landowners, niche producers, transport, commercial and educational posts women demonstrate their capabilities across the rural workforce. This is particularly valuable as significant labour shortages continue to bite across regional and rural Australia.
The shortage of truck drivers across the country, for example, has led to the ‘Foot in the Door’ program funded by the federal government’s Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative.
Efforts to publicise the recruitment of women as heavy vehicle drivers has been aired, most notably, by ABC Rural. At present, women in heavy haulage represent just 2.5 per cent of drivers. But some in the industry are keen to promote work-life balance offering shifts framed around family commitments.
In the field of rural education, two-thirds of this year’s students at Tocal College in New South Wales are women. From fence building to drone technology they are embracing agriculture in all its varieties and diversity.
Then there are programs such as Nuffield Australia, the country’s leading agricultural scholarship organisation. Nuffield awarded 13 of this year’s 19 scholarships to women.
Its chief executive, Jodie Redcliffe, herself a Nuffield scholar, reflected that “women brought a different, more collaborative approach to ag and to the Nuffield scholarship”, noting the balance this brings to the award.
To mention a few
High profile women like Fiona Simson, president of the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) and Australian Organic Ltd CEO, Niki Ford, stand out and often attract headlines where men have traditionally dominated.
Rosemary Simonetta-Cartisano, general manager at Perfection Fresh – premium Australian grown produce – noted that women bring a “unique perspective to agriculture” especially in relation to sustainability and conservation.
From the paddock to the page, Fleur McDonald is a successful crime writer whose stories reflect the influence of her rural upbringing.
Fleur owns and works a farm in Western Australia. Motivated by her lived experience of domestic violence, she established DVassist, a not-for-profit online directory of domestic violence services in WA.
Darrilyn Gordon is a prominent Aboriginal cattle farmer in WA. Aside from farming, Darrilyn’s annual camps encourage other Aboriginal people towards future employment in the field of agriculture.
Then there’s the “next gen” of women in ag, such as Kimberly Pellosis, a precision agronomist from Geelong.
She’s also a director for the Ag Institute of Australia, an Australian ambassador for Thought For Food, and a Youth Advisory group member for Melbourne Royal, amongst other roles.
At the other end of the spectrum is Gina Rinehart, well known mining magnet, but also recognised for her vision to grow and value-add Australian food leading to the Hancock Group pastoral properties reaching across much of Australia.
Last but not least is Helen Sykes, a veteran of the cattle industry in the Snowy Mountain country in Victoria. Helen created the first- ever Hereford webpage in Australia.
Article sourced from: The Australian Farm Machinery Magazine
