When Penny Miller was growing on her family’s cow’s ranch in Athabasca, Alta., Her father, who also worked in Forestry, and her two older brothers were regularly called work outside the ranch.
As a result, maintaining the operation in operation was a responsibility that often left Penny of 10 years and his mother, a task that turned out to be an steep learning curve for both.
“I will give my mother a little credit because [she] I did not grow on a farm. I was not used to rural life in working with cows and operating a tractor and things like that, “said Miller.
“There are many women who were like that, right? They didn’t know [how] And they ended up doing it. ”
Statistics Canada data show that the number of agricultural operators in 2021 had increased The first time Since 1991, point out the fact that the participation of women in agriculture is increasing.
And while that is still true, those in the industry say they are still seeing more and more female operators in Alberta every year, for those like Miller, there is another story: that women have always been working along with traditionally male operators, although often informal forms.
As women have gradually started to assume more official roles in agriculture in recent decades, experts say that their presence is not only being finally reflected in numbers, but are changing the nature of the industry itself.
“I think women have always played an important role in agriculture, but for a long time, their contributions were not officially recognized,” said Carmen Pezderic, of the Corporation for Financial Services of Agriculture (AFSC), an organization that gives the Agricultural and agribusiness with loans, crop insurance and agricultural income stabilization measures.
“They have always been there, but I think that more farms are putting operations and loans in women’s names and [there’s] Beginning to be more a culture of celebration. “
A long history with some new faces
In 2021, according to the Statistics Canada report, there were 79,795 agricultural operators, compared to 77,970 in 2016. That same year, 30 percent of total agricultural operators were women, compared to 28 percent in 2016.
Anecdotally, Pezderic said he has seen that trend that continues, particularly in the form of women who take care of family agricultural operations.
She said AFSC has seen more women get involved in agricultural transition plans in recent years as a greater generation of farmers ages.
“When I was growing, it was generally a similar issue, which son would take care of the farm, not if a daughter or any member of that next generation, regardless of gender, was interested or if he adapted more to execute things. What we are Seeing is that he is changing, “he said.
In 2022, AFSC launched an award for women in agriculture to honor that change, said Pezderic and recognizes both the history and the new border of women in the countryside.
Alex Pulwicki with the group young agrarian, who helps support early career farmers, said more than 50 percent of people who enter their programs are women, and many of them came from non -agricultural environments.

Women are also often at the forefront of carving new roles within the field, said pulwicki, noting that it has a domino effect among their peers.
“There are many more opportunities to share on their farm and farm trip and what agriculture implies … through things like social networks and instagram and things like that. And the more women they show themselves as farmers, the more women They are, wait, wait, I can do that too. ”
Charlotte Wasylik directs Chatsworth Farm, a mixed operation north of Vermilion, Alta., Together with members of his extended family, raising cows, sheep, pigs, birds and grains.
With more than 13,000 followers, the Instagram account of the farm, which manages, has been vital to spread the word on the farm side to the business table of his family.
Each month, Wasylik makes trips to Edmonton and Calgary to sell meat and fresh egg boxes.
“Believe [social media] It is a fantastic space for women and we do it very well … we can make people appreciate [what we do] And they are excited to learn from us or look at us and connect with us. ”
According to Statscan, direct sales to consumers constitute a larger part of the total operational value of smaller farms, particularly those that generate less than $ 10,000 in sales per year.
The report also indicates that direct sales together with direct delivery, what Wasylik does, was an answer to health -related health measures that limit contact.
Follow space for progress
Pulwicki believes that women assuming leadership roles not only in the operations of the daily farm but also in marketing spaces and new forms of agriculture, such as regenerative agriculture, it means that they are changing the social vision of how one looks like ” Traditional farmer “and challenging entrenched gender roles.
Wasylik, who has two younger brothers, said he never had doubts that he could cultivate because he was a woman, but attributes it to the powerful female mentors in his life and solidarity parents.
Miller, who now directs a 250 -headed cow rating operation near where he grew up, said it is a better time to be a woman in agriculture than during her parents’ time, but there are still challenges.
She said that when she requested an agricultural loan last summer and had to present a list of her assets, she was questioned about how many of them were her husband.
“That made me angry,” he said.
“Yes, there are still improvements to do … [but] If you are good in what you do and are trying to improve and improve, then that is shown. So, someone could have a bias on you, but finally the test is in the pudding. “