My wife and I together farm in central Saskatchewan. When asked what she does, my wife, correctly, answers “I farmâ€; and this is where things get interesting. I am not a feminist. In fact I'm quite against the modern, extremist neo-feminism that is becoming more and more pervasive on social and mainstream media and in universities these days. I'm a straight, white, male as many farmers in Western Canada are. However, I felt the need to write about women in agriculture, and how we are doing a dis-service to them - no, this is not “mansplaining†or a diatribe on “how it should be†it is my observations on how women are treated in Ag, and it hits close to home.
My wife is one of a large, diverse, group of women who are very capable of operating a farm on their own; she runs every piece of equipment we have, can set and calibrate, knows where what grain is stored, what field is getting planted to what. Has an equal say in every decision we make, if it requires joint consideration, and is fully capable of making others on her own. We debate agronomic issues with each other till consensus; she understands the business of agriculture, the science, and the mechanics, and arguably is a smoother, more efficient equipment operator than I am. We share field work, office work, and home work. Depending on the day I may make it home before her and will have supper ready, other days she may. Whoever grabs the laundry pile first puts it in the wash. It's called working together - farming together. In addition, we both know of women who farm completely on their own; either without partners, or partners who aren't interested in agriculture. Whatever their circumstance these women all share a common kinship, a love of the land and animals; they are farmers.
There is a definite reaction to a woman saying she “farmsâ€. It immediately leads most people to incorrectly think that all they do is cook meals and maybe “do the booksâ€. This reaction is seen in many places, including the services we work with. Why do Crop Insurance adjusters always want to talk to me instead of my wife? Once, after explaining I was away working in the oil patch, and that my wife was home to meet with him, the adjuster point blank told me he would rather wait till I was home. This has repeated with other personnel from pest control officers to equipment salesmen. Chemical, seed, fertilizer companies all gear their advertising material to men, one only has to see who they send to farm show booths to see this. Another prime example that comes to mind: A few years ago, we were invited to an info evening/supper at a large Co-Op here in Saskatchewan – not a small town “backwoods†organization - one of the largest urban/rural Co-Ops in the province. They had invited spouses to come along, great! When we got there, they tried dividing the men and women – men were going to talk agronomy, seed, and yields, while the women were supposed to go talk about “Tupperware†and other “women's issuesâ€. In any other industry, in the 21st century, in Canada, that would have immediately led to a public outcry – it was sexism to the highest degree. Yet in ag, it was and still is quietly accepted.
Kevin Hursh recently wrote an article entitled Women in Agriculture can be a Dicey Topic. He embodied everything that is wrong with the attitude of women in agriculture, arguing that “Women aren't interested in crop commissionsâ€, that “Many tell me they don't see very many barriers to women who want to get involvedâ€, or the best one in my opinion “Women need to step up rather than just attend women in ag eventsâ€. Regardless that these observations, and indeed the entire article is sexist, and written from the point of view of someone who is extremely out of touch on the issue, it gives us a glimpse into the psyche of men in agriculture in western Canada, and indeed North America.
For the longest time, my wife felt uncomfortable even saying that she farms. The immediate reaction is “oh your husband farms and you help,†which can't be further from the truth. If women don't feel comfortable even saying they farm, how will they step up and lead farm groups? If I hear these comments, I try and turn it into a teaching moment sometimes, quiet often actually, it turns into an eye opening moment for the guy making the comments, other times I've been told I'm “p**y whipped†to which I respond “No, I value my wife as my complete equal.†That is to say, equality does not mean we are the same. We are different, we have different skill sets and qualities that complement each other, but in our relationship, our farm, and indead our life, we consider each other equals.
Women need the ability to get together, and talk about ag issues from their perspective and amongst themselves. There's also comment I keep hearing “Well if women have women-in-ag groups, why don't we have men-in-ag groups?†Well, we already do – even online communities like Agriville, The Combine Forum, and New Ag Talk are overwhelmingly (to the order of 99% or greater), men. Since joining the Women in Ag and Women in Ag (Uncensored) Facebook groups, my wife has become far more confident in saying “I farmâ€. Women need groups like these, both on the internet and in the real world, to be able to build confidence in themselves and each other because, as men, we are doing anything but encouraging them or helping their confidence levels – something Mr. Hursh and many other “grey haired men†like him need to understand.
The interesting thing to note, is we can't only blame “older grey haired menâ€... the stereotype is ingrained in our society at all levels. For instance, we are expecting our first child shortly, and a comment I often get from even other women is “Oh I bet you're hoping it's a boy so he can take over the farm.†To this, my response is “No, I don't care if we're having a boy or a girl. If they show interest in the farm, and want to farm, they will get an opportunity to take it over. Their sex does not dictate what they will do in life.†This is something I feel very strongly about – your sex should never dictate what you want to or will do with your life, and I hope we can convey this to our future kids. If they want to farm, boy or girl, I hope they can take that path. If they want to be a nurse, a school teacher, or choose any other career path, we will encourage and help them along their way.
I hope none of this came across in any way other than respectful of our women in agriculture. I am proud to call my wife a farmer. If we have a daughter and if she wishes to farm, I will be proud of her decisions and encourage her the best I can. I hope, for men, that this opinion piece will open your minds and get you to start considering how to encourage women to be more open about their positions on farms, and their careers as farmers. As our ag population ages, we need to replace it with a younger generation of farmers – wether they are men or women. So, to the Women of Ag – I salute you
My wife is one of a large, diverse, group of women who are very capable of operating a farm on their own; she runs every piece of equipment we have, can set and calibrate, knows where what grain is stored, what field is getting planted to what. Has an equal say in every decision we make, if it requires joint consideration, and is fully capable of making others on her own. We debate agronomic issues with each other till consensus; she understands the business of agriculture, the science, and the mechanics, and arguably is a smoother, more efficient equipment operator than I am. We share field work, office work, and home work. Depending on the day I may make it home before her and will have supper ready, other days she may. Whoever grabs the laundry pile first puts it in the wash. It's called working together - farming together. In addition, we both know of women who farm completely on their own; either without partners, or partners who aren't interested in agriculture. Whatever their circumstance these women all share a common kinship, a love of the land and animals; they are farmers.
There is a definite reaction to a woman saying she “farmsâ€. It immediately leads most people to incorrectly think that all they do is cook meals and maybe “do the booksâ€. This reaction is seen in many places, including the services we work with. Why do Crop Insurance adjusters always want to talk to me instead of my wife? Once, after explaining I was away working in the oil patch, and that my wife was home to meet with him, the adjuster point blank told me he would rather wait till I was home. This has repeated with other personnel from pest control officers to equipment salesmen. Chemical, seed, fertilizer companies all gear their advertising material to men, one only has to see who they send to farm show booths to see this. Another prime example that comes to mind: A few years ago, we were invited to an info evening/supper at a large Co-Op here in Saskatchewan – not a small town “backwoods†organization - one of the largest urban/rural Co-Ops in the province. They had invited spouses to come along, great! When we got there, they tried dividing the men and women – men were going to talk agronomy, seed, and yields, while the women were supposed to go talk about “Tupperware†and other “women's issuesâ€. In any other industry, in the 21st century, in Canada, that would have immediately led to a public outcry – it was sexism to the highest degree. Yet in ag, it was and still is quietly accepted.
Kevin Hursh recently wrote an article entitled Women in Agriculture can be a Dicey Topic. He embodied everything that is wrong with the attitude of women in agriculture, arguing that “Women aren't interested in crop commissionsâ€, that “Many tell me they don't see very many barriers to women who want to get involvedâ€, or the best one in my opinion “Women need to step up rather than just attend women in ag eventsâ€. Regardless that these observations, and indeed the entire article is sexist, and written from the point of view of someone who is extremely out of touch on the issue, it gives us a glimpse into the psyche of men in agriculture in western Canada, and indeed North America.
For the longest time, my wife felt uncomfortable even saying that she farms. The immediate reaction is “oh your husband farms and you help,†which can't be further from the truth. If women don't feel comfortable even saying they farm, how will they step up and lead farm groups? If I hear these comments, I try and turn it into a teaching moment sometimes, quiet often actually, it turns into an eye opening moment for the guy making the comments, other times I've been told I'm “p**y whipped†to which I respond “No, I value my wife as my complete equal.†That is to say, equality does not mean we are the same. We are different, we have different skill sets and qualities that complement each other, but in our relationship, our farm, and indead our life, we consider each other equals.
Women need the ability to get together, and talk about ag issues from their perspective and amongst themselves. There's also comment I keep hearing “Well if women have women-in-ag groups, why don't we have men-in-ag groups?†Well, we already do – even online communities like Agriville, The Combine Forum, and New Ag Talk are overwhelmingly (to the order of 99% or greater), men. Since joining the Women in Ag and Women in Ag (Uncensored) Facebook groups, my wife has become far more confident in saying “I farmâ€. Women need groups like these, both on the internet and in the real world, to be able to build confidence in themselves and each other because, as men, we are doing anything but encouraging them or helping their confidence levels – something Mr. Hursh and many other “grey haired men†like him need to understand.
The interesting thing to note, is we can't only blame “older grey haired menâ€... the stereotype is ingrained in our society at all levels. For instance, we are expecting our first child shortly, and a comment I often get from even other women is “Oh I bet you're hoping it's a boy so he can take over the farm.†To this, my response is “No, I don't care if we're having a boy or a girl. If they show interest in the farm, and want to farm, they will get an opportunity to take it over. Their sex does not dictate what they will do in life.†This is something I feel very strongly about – your sex should never dictate what you want to or will do with your life, and I hope we can convey this to our future kids. If they want to farm, boy or girl, I hope they can take that path. If they want to be a nurse, a school teacher, or choose any other career path, we will encourage and help them along their way.
I hope none of this came across in any way other than respectful of our women in agriculture. I am proud to call my wife a farmer. If we have a daughter and if she wishes to farm, I will be proud of her decisions and encourage her the best I can. I hope, for men, that this opinion piece will open your minds and get you to start considering how to encourage women to be more open about their positions on farms, and their careers as farmers. As our ag population ages, we need to replace it with a younger generation of farmers – wether they are men or women. So, to the Women of Ag – I salute you
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