According to the 2022 Census of Agriculture, America had 1.2 million female producers, making up 36% of the nation’s farmers. The Census also showed women were most involved in day-to-day recordkeeping and financial management on the farm. 

While there is still room for improvement, women are clearly making inroads both on and off the farm to propel themselves, their families and the industry forward. We asked our female territory managers about both the challenges and the opportunities they’ve faced in the industry. Here’s what they had to say.

The current role women play

“It’s important to highlight how underestimated these roles are – there are so many farming operations that I’ve seen where women are the bookkeeper, the admin or part of the labour force but they’re also who the decision maker runs things by, or talks things through with. Women on the farm are often also the emotional anchor, who help talk someone down in a stressful time, they’re a trusted confidant, mediator and motivator and overall are so crucial to the operation’s success.” - Holli Frey

“Women are the glue that holds everything together. They take care of the kids, sometimes they work off the farm. They might not be in the tractor 60 hours a week, planting, harvesting, spraying, but probably in the fall, they run the kids to school in the morning then hop in the grain cart and help all day. They do so many things to make sure everything goes according to plan.” - Shelbi Nederhoff

“I think why women fell into the role of being in the office is that, in general, women are a lot more detail-oriented. So we are better at doing the more tedious jobs, which are just as important as the farming side. It just doesn't get the same amount of recognition.” - Jacquelyn Fernandes

“A lot of women are taking off farm jobs for the benefits and medical insurance. An off-farm job is the cheapest, easiest route to get health insurance. So she's going to work as a receptionist or an assistant at the school or something like that, where the benefits are available. The pay is not the goal at that point, it's the benefits that you can get for your family.” - Andrea Herbst

The challenges women face

“From my own personal experience as a woman in agriculture, one of the things that we are still questioned about is our ability to do the job, whether it be manual, the physical aspect of it, or the depth of knowledge that we have in agriculture. We can sometimes be questioned. I think we're labeled differently than men in agriculture, and maybe have to work a little bit harder to prove ourselves.” - Hollie Rudy

“I find that my competitive nature motivates me to excel and validate my contributions, at times feeling like I need to prove myself.” - Allyson Bise

“I think recognition for the women in the field is growing, and people are understanding the value of having women and what they bring to the table, but I would say they still don't get as much recognition as their male counterparts.” - Shelbi Nederhoff

The opportunities for women

“I feel like I’ve had more opportunities at times being a woman because there aren't many of us in the industry. Sometimes that can make you stand out. They know they can trust me. There are challenges, but it also has paved the way for more opportunities for me.” - Allyson Bise

“More women are going to college, getting educated and bringing those things back to the farm to add value. Whether it's doing agronomy, business or animal science. They’re expanding outside of admin tasks and are bringing experience that translates to higher yield, better performance and more efficiency. I’m even seeing a good portion of women on Nutrien’s agronomy teams.” - Shelbi Nederhoff

“Success in agriculture demands more than just strong production skills. Women are becoming invaluable assets to farm operations by contributing significantly through marketing, financial management, or by securing employment outside the farm to supplement household income. Balancing work and family life is becoming more challenging as women take on non-farm jobs to support their families. The evolving landscape provides opportunities for women to thrive in various roles, both on and off the farm.” - Allyson Bise

Women helping women

“I have rarely come across a woman in agriculture who is not excitedly willing to help out another woman interested in the industry. In Canada, and specifically Saskatchewan, we are so fortunate to have numerous formal mentorship programs that connect young people that want to be a part of our industry with those who have more experience. And while those mentorship programs are amazing, I would wager that if you know a woman in agriculture, she’d be more than willing to sit with you and answer your questions or share where you could go for more information.” - Holli Frey

“There are lots of organizations like the FFA and 4-H organizations that are really good about empowering women into leadership roles and helping them explore different paths. When you go to these conventions, you see just as many women as men who are as passionate about agriculture as you are, and it really helps you build a network for yourself.” - Shelbi Nederhoff

“Across suppliers, farm creditors, and retailers, I think they’re starting to recognize that there is some very strong talent out there and we need to figure out how to take advantage of that. Mentorship programs are huge and can be very helpful to encourage women to break out of the box and apply for more positions.” - Andrea Herbst

More opportunities are emerging all the time for women to not only continue in their current roles but to expand into many other areas, despite the obstacles that still exist in the industry.

Learn more specifically about ways to help enable women’s success in ag by checking out Hollie Rudy’s article in Dakota Farmer “How We Can Celebrate Women in Ag in 2025.”