Sometimes, the best man for the job happens to be a woman. But when it comes to farming, that revelation has only recently come to light.

"It was just 10 or 15 years ago that I would get a cold response if I called a supplier for information on seed, fertilizer or prices," says Doris Martens, who co-owns a 360-head Gelbvieh cattle operation in Grunthal with husband Gary. "They would call back to our farm and automatically ask for Gary. He would tell them they were talking to the wrong person and hand the phone back to me."

That doesn't happen much anymore says Martens, who studied business administration in addition to having a lifetime of experience in grain, beef and dairy farming. In 1987 she purchased the remaining interest in her farm from an extended family member to form a 50/50 partnership with Gary, Twin Rock Farms Ltd.

"They've come to realize that on our farm, the decision making is shared," she says. Today, Martens oversees the majority of administrative duties and also works on the land in addition to being employed part-time off the farm. "Since Gary and I became the sole partners in our enterprise, we have both worked and managed it together."

Photo courtesy Steinbach Credit Union
Doris Martens says decision-making is as shared as the ownership on her farm.

According to a 2003 study published by the National Farmers Union, Martens is representative of many Canadian women in farming, whose roles have increased significantly over the past 20 years. The study showed that 56 per cent of farm women are involved with care of animals compared to 27 per cent in 1982, and that 41 per cent of farm women deal with salespeople regarding purchases, compared with 15 per cent in 1982.

Christine Burton, assistant deputy minister of rural initiatives for Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives, is spreading word of the accomplishments of women such as Martens. At the Women in Agriculture conference in Nebraska earlier this month, Burton addressed how women have made an impact in farming, yet why their contributions are sometimes undervalued.

"The issues that women bring to the table are things like health care, schools, libraries, churches and even finding safe and reliable child care - areas once identified as 'soft' or dismissed as so-called 'women's issues,'" says Burton. "But the things that were dismissed years ago are clearly a critical piece of what's going on. There's a greater realization that 'women's issues' are really economic issues. Not to say that building infrastructure and creating jobs aren't important - but over time, we've come to realize that the way to create an economically stable community that can sustain itself through crisis is with support systems in place."

One such system is the Manitoba Farm and Rural Stress Line, a confidential counselling, and support service which was especially important during the recent BSE crisis.

"Interestingly, the people who used the stress line were most often men, not women - partly because women are more likely to reach out to friends or neighbours for support, whereas men often felt they had nowhere else to turn," Burton says. "But because women were first to speak about being stressed out, they were like a canary in a coal mine. We heard from them earlier that something was happening."

One story that Burton shared with her Nebraska audience was about Iris Murdoch, an Alberta farm woman who filed for divorce from her husband in 1971. In the landmark court case, Murdoch challenged the view of male ownership of property and the devaluation of unpaid women's work.

"She sued for half the farm and the judge refused her claim, saying, 'No - that's just what is expected of a woman,'" says Burton, adding that in 1974, the Supreme Court of Canada upheld the judge's initial decision. "There was outrage across the country and a huge lobbying effort that galvanized women who protested that their labour was valuable and should be counted in that regard."

The women's rallying cry helped redefine family property laws and forced a re-evaluation of women's work in the home, on the farm and in the workplace.

"Now we're seeing that women are, in fact, highly valued. There is an understanding of their contribution, and in many cases it's their off-farm income making a difference in supporting the family," Burton says. "But what happens when she comes home from that off-farm job? She makes supper, feeds the kids, then goes out to the yard and gets on a tractor. This is a world of necessity, and if it needs to be done - she'll do it."

Not only do these multi-tasking women bring plenty of heart to the business of farming, they may be the best strategic planners.

Christine Burton spoke at the Women in Agriculture conference in Nebraska.

"Men have a really wonderful capacity for concentrated focus, but women have this ability to take in the bigger picture. If Johnny's jumping off the swing, Mom scolds: 'Get down before you get hurt!'" Burton says. "Women have long-term vision and a holistic perspective that allows them to review a situation and decide how to best deal with it."

The International Federation of Agricultural Producers estimates that there are now at least 1.6 billion rural women, mainly farmers, representing more than a quarter of the total world population. On average, these women produce more than half of all food that is grown, yet only own two per cent of the land and receive only one per cent of all agricultural credit.

"The circumstances that many women in developing nations find themselves in are akin to those of our grandmothers 100 years ago. There are echoes between generations," says Burton. "It used to be that men got educated, women did not. It used to be that elevator points were seven miles apart, or about half day's journey by horse and cart. (In developing countries) men are sent to be educated, while the women must travel some distance by foot to get water."

As a result, Burton says these women have learned some important lessons that the western world could utilize, including about using technology specifically designed to accommodate women's physical capabilities and creating more convenient outreach programs for working mothers.

"People are now forced to re-think the model our society established about women on the farm," says Burton. "Women belong to (organizations such as) the Canadian Federation of Agriculture and their views are respected. They know the parts of the vehicle as well as anybody else."

Martens is also glad to see that more farm women are making themselves heard.

"It's great that women are more visible in the management of farms than they were one or two generations ago - we have a lot to offer the business community and are up to the task," Martens says.

"I want to get the same industry information that my competitors and colleagues are getting at meetings and seminars," she says. "Most progressive agribusinesses have learned that they should be including women when they host an event - the really sharp ones make a point of knowing us by name."

Web watch:
www.nawl.ca/v19-no1.htm
www.rural-womens-day.org

(Barbara Chabai can be reached at chabai@businessedge.ca)