International Rural Women’s Day highlighting hard work on the land

Despite women making up nearly half of the world’s agricultural workforce, only 20 percent of landowners are women, they earn on average 40 percent less than men and often combine farm life, family and community while helping run a business.

On International Rural Women’s Day on Wednesday, the obstacles women face on the land were not lost on Annette Reed who has not only fought her own battles but helped give a leg-up to women with a similar passion for agriculture.

Brought up on a 800ha cattle and sheep family in the rodeo-mad Brown family, she was number eight of 12 children and battled from early on to have her farming dreams taken seriously. 

The tomato and garlic business that she’ll soon step away from was built on the back of her 2014 success in the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) Tasmanian Rural Women's Award and has demonstrated that she can mix it with any primary producer.

The former social worker and past president of Tasmanian Women in Agriculture won the award for her project to explore niche market tomato and garlic enterprises in the US and Canada and to encourage women on small rural properties to seek business opportunities.

With husband Nevil she was running Four Springs Produce at the Selbourne property that went on to establish Tasmanian Natural Garlic and Tomatoes, but the award helped her focus on sustainable small production that could support her and the family as a full-time job.

“I was growing heirloom tomatoes and garlic for 10 years as part of my project because I knew I wanted to change things - so much was relying on our business that we had to transition it,” Annette said.

However the motivation went much deeper.

“I learned from Dad that to be a farmer - to have any value - you had to work outside and get your hands dirty,” Annette said.

“I was more than happy to do that and if he needed help on the dozer I’d be first there, but he’d send me to help mum in the kitchen.

“I also remember when we bought this farm he said it would only ever be a hobby farm. That really stuck with me and I was determined to prove him wrong.”

Annette said that it wasn’t until she started the tomato business that she truly felt like a farmer. 

“The study tour to Canada and the US was a revelation. I saw people doing amazing things on tiny acreages - incredible women running beautiful little ag businesses. That flipped my thinking.

“Not only could I be a farmer - I was a farmer. Dad didn’t know what he was talking about. If he could see this now, he would be thrilled.

“I admit I wanted to prove a point - that I was as good as my brothers - but I don’t feel the need for that anymore.”

When Annette decided to become involved in Tasmanian Women in Agriculture, and eventually became Chair, she said it helped her identify the skills she had but couldn’t see and she was nurtured in a way that helped her grow.

“I remember running five workshops - more than 200 women came - and that alone was trailblazing,” she said.

“A lot of those women went on to set up their own businesses and change the way they thought about their own little plots.

“It feels like it’s a bit easier now. It’s a different world. But it still requires passion and hard work.”