Exposing women to opportunities, role models in ag important

Those who enter Assiniboine’s Agribusiness program do so with a goal in mind – usually, to find employment in agriculture.

Although they come in with this goal in mind, they don’t always carry the confidence required to seek out opportunities, particularly for female students entering what is still a male-dominated field. While the balance is less extreme than it has been in the past, certain areas of the sector remain limited in female representation.

“This is where the Advancing Women in Agriculture conference works to promote young women, helping them realize that other women have achieved great things in agriculture, and they can too,” says instructor Danielle Tichit.

In 2019, Tichit and fellow Assiniboine instructor Pamela Wilson joined six students in travelling to Calgary to attend a Women in Ag conference, where they heard from various women who have found success in the industry and have advice for those interested in doing the same.

“I think it really opened their eyes to the diverse opportunities that exist in the ag industry and allowed them to hear from women across the country who are working in ag,” Tichit said.

It’s very positive because it’s focused on not being afraid to step up, throw your hat in the ring and try something that might be scary at first.

Recent graduate Jaime Nylen said that while she hasn’t experienced any serious barriers to finding her way into the agricultural industry, subtle mental barriers can crop up as a result of seeing few women in certain areas.

The Calgary conference was “really eye-opening and great to see how many powerful women are in the agricultural industry,” she said. “Seeing other powerful women in the industry made me think that I can do this and go far.”

Nylen found employment as a research associate in Carman, straight out of college.

Fellow recent graduate Sara Shaw also found employment immediately upon graduating, and now works as an agriculture research technician in Minto with plans to work her way up to the role of agronomist.

Unlike Nylen, Shaw didn’t pursue agriculture straight out of high school, and instead started out on another path through university before taking a break from education to start a family.

Once her children were all in school, she decided it was time for her next venture. She had established an interest in agriculture early in life, growing up on a farm outside of Alexander. Assiniboine’s Agribusiness program was her means of getting back into the industry.

Older than many of the students around her, Shaw said that she served as something of a mentor, despite being in a similar boat as them. The key difference between her and many of her peers, she said, was confidence.

“Just encouraging them is the biggest thing,” she said, “especially young women.”

This, she added, is why the Advancing Women in Agriculture conference was such an important event for women interested in pursuing careers in the industry to attend.

“Going into the conference I had confidence, I knew I could do it, I just didn’t have the mindset that I could do it,” she said, adding that seeing other women find success helped her realize that she isn’t so different and could achieve similar feats.

Shaw joined other Assiniboine students in applying for and receiving a student sponsorship, which covered a large portion of the cost for the trip. Without the sponsorship, Shaw said that she wouldn’t have been able to go, adding that it was “definitely worthwhile.”

Tichit said that “successful women sharing their stories and mentoring other young women has resulted in a more inclusive climate than there was even a few years ago,” and that she’s seen “a huge increase in the number of women coming into the industry.”

“I think just overall, maybe the stereotypes that this is a male-dominated business is staring to fade,” she said. “There’s more encouragement for women to take roles that traditionally they didn’t think even considering.”

They can do it, she said, adding that the missing piece is a nudge in the right direction – a mentor offering them a boost
of confidence.

“There are so many wonderful mentorship examples that are happening throughout the industry, both male and female,” Tichit said, adding that if not for a handful of mentors along the way she’s not sure where she would be today.

Students can only learn so much at a post-secondary institution, she said: “They need that guidance and that mentorship once they get out of here.

I’m so excited for them to be launching into an industry thatis so wide open with possibilities. It’s so innovative, and there are jobs that exist now that were just a blip on the radar when I was graduating.