GOGARBURN near Edinburgh played host to the most recent Women in Agriculture Scotland event, where the focus was ‘making your voice heard!’

The event, which has been on the go since 2015, saw a great turn out of women from all aspects of the agricultural world. As chairwoman of the event June Geyer described it, the event was “for those women with tractors in their yard to meet other women who don’t have tractors in their yard”.

All working towards the aim of connecting women in agriculture and allowing them to learn more about different aspects of the industry, the event played host to a panel of industry faces, including Alison Campbell from SRUC, Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland CEO Alan Laidlaw, director of the Oxford Farming Conference Sally Williams, AgriScot chairman Robert Neill, Scottish Enterprises’ Darlene Braithwaite and dairy farmer and Scottish Enterprise Rural Leader Colin Ferguson.

Guest speaker, Joyce Campbell of Armadale Farm in Sutherland – who has made a name for herself on social media – opened the event, telling her story, describing her struggles and explaining what she thinks women in agriculture need to be doing, or could perhaps be doing better.

Joyce, who runs her North Country Cheviot flock on the ground along the scenic, but tough, terrain of the North Coast 500, explained that social media has allowed her to tell her story and make people aware of what she’s doing.

She explained: “It was my niece and nephew that got me into social media and they’re still a massive help, but they did it because they explained to me that it would allow me to show what life as a hill farmer is like as well as advertising our stock.

“And it’s been great for that. I get a great reception for my videos and post – especially when they feature my lovely dogs – but it has also allowed me to connect with other people in the industry and have open dialogue about the challenges and struggles other people have too. It can make you feel connected in a world that is often quite lonely in a lot of ways.”

Joyce, who is also chair of the Scottish Government’s Women in Agriculture Taskforce, also made the call for women to stop using the term, “I’m just…” when referring to their role and what they do.

“Women need to stop playing themselves down,” explained Joyce.

“It’s not just those that are out getting their hands dirty in a literal sense that are doing the hard work, it’s people at all stages of the process, contributing all different things.

“Agriculture is a wide industry and it must be inclusive of all the roles that people play – whether they’re male or female!”

Joyce also highlighted the need for women to gain confidence to become the face of their farm and get actively involved within the sector without feeling pushed out by family issues or other constraints.

“We need to build women’s confidence,” said Joyce, “we need to encourage one and other to push forward and get where we want to be.”

Dairy farmer Sally Williams later echoed the importance of acting now to implement change, rather than just discussing it, saying: “Confidence is absolutely key. And we should be doing what it takes to find it. Women can be each other’s greatest allies and supporters and events like this only go towards highlighting the strength and potential of women in the world of agriculture.”

RHASS CEO Alan Laidlaw chaired a panel session at the event, where the discussion highlighted various ways people working in the industry can ensure their active role in agriculture.

Julia Latto from Scottish Enterprise explained: “We really do all need to come together within the sector and push forward in order to make the differences we have the potential to make. It is all about challenging yourself every day, but it is also about supporting the next generation and learning what we can from them. The two elements combined have great potential.”