We’ve had some help in the Ozarks Farm & Neighbor office recently.
Sydni is temporary help in the summer with our Farm Hand project. She does a bang-up job. Her time with us is short, but we are glad to have her.
At lunch one day, she unpacked a good-looking salad. Sydni said she grew everything in her lunch, and the eggs atop her home-grown spread came from her poultry flock. She will be a senior when the next school year rolls around, and if I remember correctly, she plans on majoring in a plant-related field of study in college. I gave her a plant I’ve been slowly killing, hoping her green thumb might save it.
After finishing her work, she left on a trip to Washington, D.C., to be an ambassador for our area electric cooperative. She is one of a handful of young leaders from around the state selected for the journey.
Her work with us last year earned her our thanks and a trip across the stage at the Missouri FFA Convention as part of her ag communications SAE; she was the state runner-up.
Sydni is just one example of the future generation of women in agriculture. She doesn’t come from a big farm but is still very involved in ag with her plants, garden and poultry operation. She is also active in FFA, her church and other activities. She’s a good egg.
In this edition of OFN, we are saluting women in the Ozarks, and we have some phenomenal ladies featured. Women have always had important roles on farms and ranches and in ag-related industry boardrooms, but their accomplishments have taken a while to get the recognition they deserve.
I’m a member of a couple of women in ag social media groups, and it’s great to see the roles these ladies take in their farming/ranching operations; from large cattle spreads in Montana to backyard produce growers in Maine. These ladies are also excellent sources of advice for new or younger producers. I enjoy seeing how things are done in other parts of the country and worldwide. I also follow a lady sheep/alpaca/llama shearer, a couple of lady farriers and cattle hoof trimmers; they are great at what they do.
As I write this, at least five of my nieces and great-nieces are prepping for our county fair. They will show cattle, hogs, and maybe even ponies. Three of them have gotten in on showing some Olde English Babydoll Southdown sheep the last couple of years, helping a young lady I know with her flock. Since the breed is smaller, they are just the right size for the girls. I am so glad they have the opportunity to show. My three oldest nieces (two of them are the mothers of three of the girls showing) also showed at the county fair when they were young. We only have two boys in the family, one out of school and working full-time and the other isn’t even walking yet, so it’s all up to the girls.
I hope all young ladies like Sydni, my nieces and my great-nieces continue to have a love for animals, plants and agriculture. No matter how big or small, their contributions to the industry are making a difference.
Thank you to all of the hard-working women in agriculture. I hope you all realize how you inspire those around you to follow their agriculture paths and dreams.
Julie Turner-Crawford is a native of Dallas County, Mo., where she grew up on her family’s farm. She is a graduate of Missouri State University. To contact Julie, call 1-866-532-1960 or by email at [email protected].
