Encounters

“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 […]

“I adore this way of life and love sharing that with our family”

Kylie Magner, Magners Farm Kylie Magner grew up on the family farm in New South Wales, Australia, but moved to Ireland after meeting her husband Billy. There, near the village of Moyglass in Fethard County Tipperary, the heart of the Golden Vale Ireland, she bought 10 laying hens. The rest is history. She calls herself […]

“We are not solely guided by our business: our hearts and love for our animals motivate us”,

Jessica Bell and Sandra Coffman, Split Creek Farm LLC Jessica Bell and Sandra Coffman are the co-owners of Split Creek Farm, a dairy goat farm in South Carolina. This Bachelor in Animal Science and retired Deputy Chief of Police now run a 27 acre farm, along with the charitable organization Goats 4 Goodness they founded. […]

“This is a female dominated farm”

Paula Hynes, dairy farmer, Ireland Their family’s farm won the Zurich Ireland Dairy Farmer of the Year Award in 2017 and is very much female dominated, and they never miss an opportunity to try and inform the public about where their food comes from. An encounter with Paula Hynes, who runs a dairy farm alongside […]

“I have earned the respect of the farmers in the area”

Adeline Maillard, winemaker, Cinque Terre (Italy) Originally from the Paris region, Adeline Maillard did not grow up in the agricultural industry. Four years ago, this wine specialist and her partner decided to leave everything behind to buy a vineyard in northern Italy. Women in Ag spoke to her. For Adeline Maillard, wine is a family […]

Women have so much power, other than purely physical!

Marieke De Vos, flower grower, Zottegem (Belgium) Our previous encounters have always featured women who produce our food: from cheese and dairy to meat, on the farm, out in the great open or from the saddle. Op de boerderij, of in de wildernis vanuit het zadel. But our sector provides so much more than just […]

“Agriculture is exactly where we, women, belong!”

Jenny Butcher, farmer, Ontario (Canada) Jenny Butcher could have chosen to stay on her family’s dairy operation and do things the usual way. Instead, she and her husband Wes decided to go for a fresh start, start their own farm and do it from a different approach entirely. If buying local (food) is becoming increasingly […]