Women in Ag: Be the change you want to see in the industry

Deirdre Loughran: Grower and horticulturist, Co Meath

Deirdre Loughran, an organics grower and horticulturist in Trim, Co Meath, was originally a teacher by trade before leaning into her passion for organics. A member of the Irish Organics Association (IOA), Ms Loughran grows a variety of fruits, vegetables, and shrubs with a particular emphasis on heritage and native strains, as well as keeping some poultry and Connemara ponies at the farm.

Ms Loughran broke from the mould at the very beginning, deciding not to pursue growing commercial plants but instead applying her focus on rescuing and conserving heritage plants. Hailing from a mixed enterprise family farm, she attributes her passion for plants to her mother who was an avid grower. “I couldn’t stay away from plants and growing,” she said.

Ms Loughran typically starts her day feeding the poultry and horses and cleaning the yard. Normally she would then look through her plants to harvest where she can, but since storm Eowyn she’s been trying to get back on track after a gable end of her glass house was swept away by the strong winds.

When discussing the multifaceted role of women in agriculture, Ms Loughran said: “They do everything! Everything, at the same time. Nobody bats an eyelid, but you know, that's just the way it is.” 

Particularly when it came to her situation, after leaving teaching and being the primary carer for her four kids and now also helping with minding two grandchildren, Ms Loughran said: “I wasn't going to sit doing nothing and I had to earn a bit of money while I was rearing the children.” 

When discussing organic farming and in particular her niche area of the sector, Ms Loughran explained some real road blocks were labour and the lack of funding. “…There hasn't been money in it and it's too labour intensive. But I would say the non-financial rewards are absolutely huge… So I discovered when I finished teaching that you really miss your wage.

On the topic of equality in the agricultural sector, Ms Loughran said: “You could have two people standing side by side doing the same thing and one of those people is undervalued because of what they do, and the other person would be taken seriously, on the basis of their sex.” 

Discussing the barriers she has faced while farming Ms Loughran discussed how people would always default looking for a man or seeking permission from the men in her family to do work in her yard, “No matter what I do through the years, no matter how hard I insist, they will ring my husband or my brother.” 

Even her daughters find similar sentiments in their lines of work, “But I'm saying no matter what my girls do, they will not be taken seriously as farmers. My daughter runs her own yard. She has a 1:1 degree. She'll still be demeaned, ‘How many head of cattle does your father have, dear?’ It's true, I don't exaggerate.” 

Ms Loughran explained very plainly that when it came to being a woman in agriculture be it dairy, beef, tillage or horticulture, “you have to be a tough cookie.” 

When it comes to the future and encouraging more women into agriculture, Ms Loughran called for more trailblazers. “We need trailblazers. We don't need them to shout and scream and say ‘look at me’. We need people that can look outside Ireland and say, well, Australia's doing this or Germany's doing that, and it doesn't have to be commercial. We need people that can look outside the conventional way. So I think it's important to embrace the colours, the variety.

“And with women not to be told you're a 'tomboy', or that you're not a woman because you don't wear a skirt... That's not right,” Ms Loughran said.

Talking about her farm and legacy, Ms Loughran said: “people call it paradise.” 

“I’m planting now for after I’m gone that my grandchildren have apples and pears and plums to eat, the heritage varieties.” 

“I am living the change that I want to see in the world,” Ms Loughran explained. “I am the change, I am living it every day. I can't save the children of the world. I can't save the plants, the gardens, the nature, but what I can do is what's in my corner, I can create a small paradise. I can change something.”

Zoe Newnham: Dairy farmer, Co Cork

Zoe Newnham is a young woman running her family farm in Cork. Currently, she is milking 315 head of cattle on a spring calving system. Her herd contains a mixture of Jersey crosses and Holstein-Friesians. The shift away from Jersey crosses is a relatively new one for the herd, with Ms Newnham’s main aim being to ensure a better quality calf with the new Holstein-Friesian bulls she sees coming into the AI catalogues. 

After studying dairy business in UCD, Ms Newnham worked on a couple of other farms before returning home and beginning to run the show there. “I always had a passion for caring for animals, minding, and looking after them. I enjoy farming. It doesn’t feel like work for me.” 

On the subject of current issues when it comes to women in agriculture, Ms Newnham said: “I think for me, I'm quite lucky in that I never had any massive issues, the biggest issue I would have had was, if someone came down to the yard, they asked for my brother. But I think the biggest issue is presence. There's not enough presence of women in the industry. We need more women in senior roles, co-ops and organisations. That would be a massive improvement.”

I think seeing is believing and that would really instil confidence in other women in the industry 

Ms Newnham’s experience in the current world of agriculture is largely a positive one. “I've been added into my local discussion group and I’ve been made to feel really welcome. I feel equal to the other farmers as well. They’ve been really supportive and they want to see you do well and they want to help you. I think that's a big thing.” 

Regarding advice she would give young women and girls with a passion for agriculture in any form, Ms Newnham said: “Don't worry what other people think, row your own boat, do what makes you happy. What helped me was having a role model.

"People in the industry like Hazel Mullins, Nicole Keohane, Karina Pierce. They're amazing women doing, really wonderful work in their fields and I think just surround yourself with women like that and positive people who want to see you do well would be, what I think.” 

Ms Newnham encourages other female farmers and women in agriculture to get out there and put themselves forward when it comes to their work, “I know girls don't want to go to a farm walk, or an open day, because it can be quite daunting when you're the only girl, but I think don't be afraid to go and show your presence.” 

On the future of agriculture, Ms Newnham hopes to see more women entering the primary sector and running farms. “I think gone are the days of, the first boy gets the farm, it is going more to who is interested.” 

Ms Newnham’s career highlights ranged between her college years and work before settling back home. 

“It was UCD, they were the best years of my life. They made me the person and farmer I am today, for sure. Working for really good farmers like John Kingston and John McNamara, they shaped me. I also think, New Zealand for work experience, that was a great experience for me, really toughened me up and the Kiwis do things really efficiently.” 

An enterprising young farmer, Ms Newnham also started a new business last year making her Coolmore Farmhouse ice cream using milk from the farm and locally sourced ingredients from businesses nearby her home and sells her produce locally.

Ms Newnham’s take home message for her fellow women in agriculture drove home the idea of community.

“I think the biggest thing is finding your community farming. It's really important," she said.

"Farming is a tough job. So having a support system is really important, whether it's your family, your friends, I think having that support system is key 

"Organisations like Dairy Women Ireland, have great events for networking and making a community, just don't be afraid to go to those things.”