LIV Falkiner doesn’t miss a beat as she muses about the performance of her family’s Merino sheep, the challenges of growing cotton and the biodiversity measures she’s implementing to protect native wetlands around their property, all while nursing five-month-old baby Matilda in one arm, and settling an attention-seeking Kelpie with the other.
“Agriculture changes so quickly that you must always have an eye to the horizon, and innovation is essential across every enterprise we are in,” Falkiner says. “We are constantly trying to be ahead of the curve, anticipate challenges and prepare for them.”
Juggling multiple hats at once is all in a day’s work for the 33 year old who manages one of Australia’s most successful enterprises, Haddon Rig, a Merino, broadacre cropping and cotton station 140km northwest of Dubbo in NSW. Falkiner is among a growing number of women rising through the leadership ranks of Australian agriculture. From small family farms to vast cattle stations, corporate and institutional agribusiness, women with a clear focus on driving innovation and production across the sector are shaping contemporary agriculture and redefining the $100 billion industry.
“You have to keep evolving to survive in agriculture, you can’t rest on any aspect of the business,” says Falkiner.
Screenshot
WOMEN have always been the backbone of Australian agriculture, their efforts critical to the success of Australian farms, particularly family run operations. Think of pioneers such as Mary and Elizabeth Durack who managed Ivanhoe Station near Kununurra in the 1920s and ’30s.But their work was often undervalued and underpaid, and incredibly, it’s only since 1994 that women were legally considered ‘farmers’ and able to list their occupation as farmer in the census.
Thankfully, Australian agriculture has moved ahead in leaps and bounds, and according to the most recent figures from the Australian Bureau of Agricultural Resource Economics and Sciences, more than 88,000 women work in the nation’s agricultural sector, making up almost 35 per cent of the total agriculture workforce.
Cressida Cains, president of Australian Women in Agriculture, says the stereotype of an Australian farmer, being an old bloke in a dusty Akubra, is finally shifting, but there’s still work to be done.“That image still exists, but it’s no longer the full picture,” she says. “Across Australia, women are farming, leading businesses, driving innovation and shaping the direction of the industry, often in ways that are practical, collaborative and forwardlooking. The reality on the ground has shifted quite significantly, even if the public perception is still catching up.
“Better decisions are made when the people around the table reflect the reality of the industry. Women bring different perspectives, experiences and ways of thinking about risk, people and long-term sustainability. In agriculture, where decisions have generational impact, that diversity matters. It’s not just about representation, it’s about stronger, more balanced and more effective leadership.”
To read the full article, click here.Ag Journal magazine May issue