We are Better Together: Women in Ag

Yesterday, we hosted an amazing event on our farm that was especially impactful for me as a woman farmer. The event was the Women for the Land Learning Circle organized and facilitated by the American Farmland Trust. For this event, women from Berks County who are land owners and/or farmers were invited to our farm to participate in a conversation about conservation practices and to meet the people who run our local agriculture offices including our FSA, NRCS, Conservation District, Berks Nature and more. It was amazing to see the diverse array of farmers in our small county including our grass-fed beef farm, a pastured chicken farm, a small-scale vegetable farm, an alpaca and pastured pork farm, and a horse farm among others. The event was so successful because it not only gave us great ideas and advice for our farm businesses, but also gave us connections to other women farmers in our community.

Why is this so important? Because, historically, farming was not for women and although times have changed, the focus of the industry is still geared very much toward men. It can be difficult for a woman farmer to purchase parts for her tractor, to speak up at conferences where she is the only woman sitting in the room, and to sometimes, but not always, be taken seriously by the men who dominate in the traditional agricultural community. Bringing women together makes us stronger because we can learn together, we can support each other through the difficult decisions we often have to make, and we can normalize our presence as women in the agriculture community together.

I am privileged to have found friends, role models, and a support system through the different programs I have been a part of including the Beginning Farmer’s Institute and the Women for the Land Learning Circle. I hope that in Berks County, we continue to develop a network of women who care for the land, support one another and celebrate our agricultural roots. Yesterday, was a good start.

The Blusters of Fall

It is so blustery outside today that I am spending half the day hiding indoors after finishing my outdoor chores. The cattle love this weather. After the heat of summer, they always surprise me by their playfulness and energy during these days of Fall. I tend to leave more openings for them to go where I don’t expect them this time of year because I am used to the lethargy of summer. And they always oblige. Teaching me that it is easy to become used to routine and forget to look for the unexpected.

Chores this time of year for both me and the cattle mostly involve cleaning up. The cattle are tasked with their last rounds of our pasture paddocks, cleaning up the remaining Fall grass. As they graze, I am cleaning fence lines, wrapping up water lines, and patching electrical fence for the winter. I do enjoy the gradual slow down of Fall after the scurrying of summer. It is refreshing to watch nature go into hibernation as my cattle start getting fuzzy with their winter coats.

Dinners are shifting as well as the weather gets colder. Tonight, I will be baking a meatloaf. Beautifully easy since I made two before and stuck this one in the freezer for a later day. Make ahead meals are my favorite strategy when I am on the top of my menu planning game. If I can, I’ll share some recipes as the Fall continues of easy delicious meals that can be frozen or saved as leftovers for another day.