Encounters

“Taking over from my parents was natural”

Petra Mayböck-Froschauer, egg farmer, Taufkirchen an den Pram (Austria) In the quiet Austrian countryside near the border with Germany, we find the tiny upper Austrian village of Taufkirchen an den Pram. The village counts approximately 2000 inhabitants and… 6000 chickens. Petra Mayböck-Froschauer is the head of egg farm Reiterer. The daughter of farmers, taking over […]

Our Lady of the Colours, four generations of girl power on the farm

Never has the name of this feature been more accurate: this is a true encounter, and one we at Women in Ag will remember fondly for a very long time. Our encounter with the four women running the Notre Dame des Couleurs dairy farm in Belfort-du-Quercy, a tiny village in the Lot region in southwestern […]

“Through chocolate, I am able to tell a positive story about agriculture”

Linda Kopczinski, farm chocolatier at Boerin Linda, Glane (Netherlands) Women in Ag is based in Belgium, the land of beer and chocolate. To us, chocolate is a national pride. And yet, we can’t think of anyone who does what Dutch farmer Linda does. In fact, there’s only a handful of farmers in the world […]

“Being women makes us better equipped to adapt to change”

Kate Hoare, winner of the Women in Ag Awards 2023, Trenance Dairy, Tideford (Cornwall, UK) In her mid-thirties, Kate Hoare decided to go for a career as a full-time dairy farmer. A farmer’s daughter, her choice to take over her dad’s milk contract and start her own farm with husband Kevin and their three […]

“There are a lot more women than men in agriculture in Zambia!”

Chileshe Chansa, Lusaka, Zambia Chileshe Emmeldah Chansa (41) runs a mixed farm in Lusaka province in Zambia, Southern Africa. Without a real agricultural background, she started up her farm, Mabala farm, all on her own after seeing a friend do it. Today, she runs a farm and all the administration that comes with it on […]

“We need to create awareness and help support other women!”

Judith De Vor, Snelrewaard (the Netherlands) Judith De Vor grew up around the countryside, but only decided to farm herself later. The interest in agriculture was always there, though. When it turned out that her husband was eager to take over his parents’ farm, she had quickly made her choice: Judith became a farmer. From […]

“I believe a farmer’s job is to continuously adapt and grow”,

Angela Ferraro-Fanning, Axe and Root Homestead, New Jersey (USA) Not far from New York City, in central New Jersey, USA, Angela Ferraro-Fanning decided to reconnect with nature and grow her own food. She does not have an agricultural background, but as the years went on her curiosity allowed her to learn and grow her […]

“My children get to grow up on a farm and that’s worth it to me”

Sarah Clulow, Bernard’s Farm, Chesshire UK) Sarah Clulow is a first generation farmer. She doesn’t come from a farming family, nor is she married to a farmer. And yet, one day, she decided to leave the safety of job and home behind to become a farmer. “I worked in child protection for many years […]

“We, as farmers, are part of an ecosystem”

Sheila Darmos, The Southern Lights (Skala, Greece) 35 years ago, Stavros Darmos decided to convert his farm in the south of the Peleponnese peninsula to organic practices. He was the first in Greece to make this transition. Today, the next generation took over the farm and decided to take it one step further. Women in […]

“I want to connect with consumers”

Lucie Mainard, “Les Jolies Rousses” farm, Vendée (France) She lived in a rural area, but doesn’t come from an agricultural family. Still, her curiosity towards agriculture led her first to a career as an instructor in local agriculture organisations, and now to a life of farming. Today, Lucie runs her organic poultry farm “Les Jolies […]