Women in Farming

greenprincess

Well,
I was just wondering are there many women involved in farming? I'm in Australia at the min and working on a farm and I really like it LOVE driving the tractor! But it occured to me I dont know any girls at home working in farming so are there many girls working on farm in Ireland? Or even oppertunities for girls, would an Irish farmer hire a girl?

Bizzum

greenprincess wrote: »

would an Irish farmer hire a girl

The neatest section I ever seen on a cow was done by a girl!
I think gender doesn't come into it if the job is being done correctly.

There are women farmers, indeed some on here, and there are farmers wives I've met over the years who do as much work on the farm as their husbands, rear a family, and do the books aswell.

whelan1

sure aren't we great:D dont see it being an issue tbh, its only an issue if you make it one:)

5live

Once she is able to do the job, most wont care. Indeed, a some would be better than some of ourselves, if the truth were told:)

Don Juan DeMagoo

5live wrote: »

Once she is able to do the job, most wont care. Indeed, a some would be better than some of ourselves, if the truth were told:)

Ditto, some great vets that did work for us were female. Some old farmers maybe prejudicial, but that is only because they are intimidated. Once you are good at what you do people will respect you. But more importantly why should you care what people think as long as you are happy. Seems more of a bit of insecurity imo. You will find naysayers no matter what professional field you go into, but remember you only need to answer to yourself. Best of luck

greenprincess

Thanks, was just curious really. I've been turned down for a few jobs over here cause I'm a girl. The farms in Australia are HUGE! So on big jobs you could spend a month or so camping and they think one girl will cause 'complications' I can see their point but its annoying because I wouldnt cause such problems!!

Also totally agree that women are fantastic farmers

djmc

I wish more women were interested in farming most I met wouldn't dirty there hands
I know id be told where to go if I asked my oh to drive a tractor or milk cows but
then there some jobs I wouldn't like either like ironing clothes and im not gone on the hover either
Maybe if I hired a women she might spend more time around the farm:D
Keep up the good work and fair play

20silkcut

There are two sisters living near me both in their 40's and single, farming about 50 acres and they are the hardest workers I have ever seen. Both have off farm jobs but the farm is spotless and they have a great herd of well maintained cattle. They would farm the majority of men under the table.
It is often the case that the female members of farming familys are much more sensitive to the protection and expansion of the family farm. My great grandmother spent her life savings on 50 acres back in the 1920s to ensure that all of her sons would be 'looked after. Females have always been an extremely powerful force on Irish farms.

irishh_bob

greenprincess wrote: »

Well,
I was just wondering are there many women involved in farming? I'm in Australia at the min and working on a farm and I really like it LOVE driving the tractor! But it occured to me I dont know any girls at home working in farming so are there many girls working on farm in Ireland? Or even oppertunities for girls, would an Irish farmer hire a girl?

irish women tend to avoid marrying farmers (or at least did for the past 20 yrs ) let alone become farmers , its not seen as a sexy career

whelan1

irishh_bob wrote: »

irish women tend to avoid marrying farmers (or at least did for the past 20 yrs ) let alone become farmers , its not seen as a sexy career

what is a sexy career now we are in a recession?

johngalway

whelan1 wrote: »

what is a sexy career now we are in a recession?

Most things which are more cash rich and dung poor

irishh_bob

whelan1 wrote: »

what is a sexy career now we are in a recession?

probabley a guard or a fireman or something , you know how the ladies love a man in uniform

pakalasa

Of the female farmers on here - just wondering, how many would consider themselves good with machines, as in fixing them?

whelan1

well i would give it a go... am an expert at the scrapers.... can bleed the tractor etc.... i know when a job is beyond me , not like some other people:rolleyes:

Dunedin

pakalasa wrote: »

Of the female farmers on here - just wondering, how many would consider themselves good with machines, as in fixing them?

and how many men would consider themselves good with machines......

I for one would openly admit I am useless with fixing things.

give me 100 cattle and I'll pick out the best one but don't even ask me to hardly change a wheel :D

what happen

irishh_bob wrote: »

irish women tend to avoid marrying farmers (or at least did for the past 20 yrs ) let alone become farmers , its not seen as a sexy career

i have to laugh that what my sister said she would not marry a farmer and now she getting married in 6 weeks to a farmer.i am a farmer and she is living on my farm.:D:D

bob charles

what happen wrote: »

i have to laugh that what my sister said she would not marry a farmer and now she getting married in 6 weeks to a farmer.i am a farmer and she is living on my farm.:D:D

ah, gotta love the rural way of life, marrying your sister?

Bizzum

what happen wrote: »

i have to laugh that what my sister said she would not marry a farmer and now she getting married in 6 weeks to a farmer.i am a farmer and she is living on my farm.:D:D

Congratulations Mr and Mrs Happen! Nothing like keeping land in the family!:)

pakalasa

Well, I've met a few women who were known to be good with animals. Never heard of one though that was handy around machines. It's not exactly 50:50 either is it, when it comes to mechanics. Women are in the small minority there too.

irishh_bob

pakalasa wrote: »

Well, I've met a few women who were known to be good with animals. Never heard of one though that was handy around machines. It's not exactly 50:50 either is it, when it comes to mechanics. Women are in the small minority there too.

if the pc liberals get thier way , gender quotas will be extended to the field of mechanics and you will be just as likely to find a dame replacing the radiator in your JD

catbro3

this might be a little off topic, but im going to Oz in January next year and looking for farm work. how did you go about getting a job over there greenprincess??

I grew up on a farm and my mother did more then my father in a lot of ways. she reared 4 of us, milked, reared all the caves every year and kept all the books. but I dunno bout my dad hiring a girl, we were never really encouraged to do farm work (I suppose cos we have a brother) we had to study study study! wait til my dad hears im going to Oz to go farming!! Hell have a great laugh:D

pakalasa

Catbro3,
If you want to go farming in Oz, go farming in Oz!
Nothing beats working at something you really enjoy. Best of luck to ya.

kingelmo

greenprincess wrote: »

Well,
I was just wondering are there many women involved in farming? I'm in Australia at the min and working on a farm and I really like it LOVE driving the tractor! But it occured to me I dont know any girls at home working in farming so are there many girls working on farm in Ireland? Or even oppertunities for girls, would an Irish farmer hire a girl?

My BF is a agri contractor, iv no interest in anything farming wise but he asked me a few years ago if id work with him for the summer.. i joked it off thinking no more about it.. Now im with him all year round, have my own job to but i also drive for him.. anything from mowing, bailing, wrapping, ploughing drawing silage you name it!! Honestly I love it!!:D It beats sitting in front of a computer all day and its great to get invoilved in different things..

I will admitt there is not many women involved in farming.. Of course you have your female yets and farmers wifes who help on the farm but bar from that you dont see many women as tractor drivers.. Its a shame to see that women have grown so much over the ages that we can put our hands to anything...

Still HATE cows though they scary the crap outta me but give me a tractor instead of my day job anyday:D!!

More power to ya girlie and best of luck

red menace

My Cousin is a dairy farmer.
She runs a very very tidy operation there .
Everything is done to the nines and not a straw out of place,
lovely well minded herd of cows there also.
She also won the national ploughing championships 4 times, I hesitate to call it farmerette not a fan of the term!

KatyMac

I'm a woman farmer, have been for years!
I know when my father was doing the farming it was my mother who looked after the proper welfare of the animals. I remember carrying a lamb home under my jacket and putting her into the cool oven to bring her round from being perished with cold. My father had left her because she "was too far gone". That lamb had many lambs herself in the following years, we called her Lambchops.
My 13 year old daughter is on holidays these days and is really taking an interest in rearing bucket fed calves. With a bit of luck she will eventually turn into another generation of farmerettes.:D

yourpics

20silkcut wrote: »

There are two sisters living near me both in their 40's and single, farming about 50 acres and they are the hardest workers I have ever seen. Both have off farm jobs but the farm is spotless and they have a great herd of well maintained cattle. They would farm the majority of men under the table.
It is often the case that the female members of farming familys are much more sensitive to the protection and expansion of the family farm. My great grandmother spent her life savings on 50 acres back in the 1920s to ensure that all of her sons would be 'looked after. Females have always been an extremely powerful force on Irish farms.

What part of the country is that?? Are they well maintained themselves??

20silkcut

yourpics wrote: »

20silkcut wrote: »

There are two sisters living near me both in their 40's and single, farming about 50 acres and they are the hardest workers I have ever seen. Both have off farm jobs but the farm is spotless and they have a great herd of well maintained cattle. They would farm the majority of men under the table.
It is often the case that the female members of farming familys are much more sensitive to the protection and expansion of the family farm. My great grandmother spent her life savings on 50 acres back in the 1920s to ensure that all of her sons would be 'looked after. Females have always been an extremely powerful force on Irish farms.

What part of the country is that?? Are they well maintained themselves??

Is what well maintained? The women??
Yes they are not too bad. They are single and in the 40's and probably realise that it's not going to happen for them now, but they are presentable and it is a bit of a mystery that they never hooked up. But I am sure they are happy .

I am in the south midlands. Don't want to say too much more as I like my anonymity on this forum.

yourpics

20silkcut wrote: »

Is what well maintained? The women??
Yes they are not too bad. They are single and in the 40's and probably realise that it's not going to happen for them now, but they are presentable and it is a bit of a mystery that they never hooked up. But I am sure they are happy .

I am in the south midlands. Don't want to say too much more as I like my anonymity on this forum.

Sounds good!

**packs case for the South Midlands

JohnBoy

She told me on saturday she wants to be a farmer when she grows up, instead of a princess.





(I didnt have the heart to tell her she'll be wanting to find herself a farmer so cos mommy and daddy will be retiring into farming as soon as herself and her siblings finish college)

Kovu

catbro3 wrote: »

this might be a little off topic, but im going to Oz in January next year and looking for farm work. how did you go about getting a job over there greenprincess??

I grew up on a farm and my mother did more then my father in a lot of ways. she reared 4 of us, milked, reared all the caves every year and kept all the books. but I dunno bout my dad hiring a girl, we were never really encouraged to do farm work (I suppose cos we have a brother) we had to study study study! wait til my dad hears im going to Oz to go farming!! Hell have a great laugh:D

To start off with, try Helpx.net it's non paid but you will be referenced at the end of it.
I did start a thread about this a while ago, i was taking over my da's land and I wanted to know opinions of 'ahem, "lady farmers" as I've heard. Since then I have gotten a job which is mainly viewed as a 'man's job' not that it matters much to me, I just feel bad for my dad who has to calve the bulls I put on

yourpics

Karen112 wrote: »

To start off with, try Helpx.net it's non paid but you will be referenced at the end of it.
I did start a thread about this a while ago, i was taking over my da's land and I wanted to know opinions of 'ahem, "lady farmers" as I've heard. Since then I have gotten a job which is mainly viewed as a 'man's job' not that it matters much to me, I just feel bad for my dad who has to calve the bulls I put on

My opinion is that there isn't enough lady farmers.

Kovu

yourpics wrote: »

My opinion is that there isn't enough lady farmers.

I agree but you have to think of the nature of the work. I was merely replying to catbro about finding work abroad to start him off.
I've been farming for as long as I can remember, I still find it hilarious that old men won't heed m advice until a vet tells thm the same thing.

Bizzum

Is there a difference between a 'Woman farmer' and a 'Lady farmer'?:)

whelan1

Bizzum wrote: »

Is there a difference between a 'Woman farmer' and a 'Lady farmer'?:)

probably the same as a man farmer and a gentleman farmer :rolleyes: