It is our Women In Ag special issue and I am proud to say I am one. I grew up as one and I have known several women that I have looked up to and I am teaching the next generation of women. Women in Ag come in many different forms, from the stay-at-home mom who holds down the home front to the courageous ladies that spend their days on horseback pushing cattle on the range.
When I was little, we had an older neighbor lady that we considered our second grandma, and my sister and I spent a lot of time at her house. It was a short walk or quick bike ride down the dirt road to her house where she raised meat rabbits. I remember helping her feed and water and clean cages, check on new babies and the inevitable processing of those she raised to butcher. I remember thinking how tough she was at her age and keeping up with all the things she did.
I had the opportunity when I was 19 to move to Montana and work on a large ranching operation. I didn’t spend my days on horseback, thank goodness, but spent the days on a 4-wheeler checking cows and tending to various cattle chores. The women on the ranch that were part of the family were hard working and did everything from milking the family cow and preparing dinner (lunch around here), to roping and branding cattle. Things are so much bigger out there and living in such a remote area presents it own challenges and those women were definitely up to the challenge.
I grew up showing cattle and at that time there were not nearly as many girls/women out there breaking cattle and clipping and fitting as there are now. The few that were out there I watched from a distance, and I really admired and aspired to be like them. I have always enjoyed working with the cattle and even at a very young age, I knew that was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I was fortunate to grow up in 4H and FFA and being involved in 4H as an adult, being a club and project leader for over 20 years, put me in a position to teach the next generation of girls in agriculture.
I have several families I have worked with for 10-12 years and have helped their kids learn to love the livestock show industry. I have several young ladies from these families that I consider my own “kids” and when we travel with a sizeable number of show cattle, I love to bring them along. These are girls I have hauled to numerous cattle shows and they certainly know their stuff. These girls can handle a heifer that is attending their first show on up to a two-year-old bull. I can leave these girls in charge of a large string of cattle for a few hours, and they can handle the washing, feeding, and leading of them all. I am proud to say that I enjoy traveling with a crew of girls and I will put them up against any boys as far as work ethic and knowledge…..BUT I may be a bit biased when it comes to “my girls”.
Being a women in ag does not mean you are doing it all alone although it can be that way sometimes. A lot of us have dads, spouses, brothers, or partners that work alongside of us and hopefully they recognize the value that women bring to the table. There are certainly stereotypes when it comes to women in ag and I have been on the wrong end of the opinion that women don’t belong in ag (which didn’t end well I might add). But women are smart, strong and fully capable of handling ANYTHING that agriculture can dish out and women have been behind the scenes just as long as they have been in the forefront.
My husband and I coordinate (for the most part) on things with our cattle. I bet at times he wishes I was not as independent and hardheaded as I am, but I am pretty sure my dad warned him. I definitely don’t tell him nearly enough how much I appreciate all that he does behind the scenes.
Being a “Woman in Ag” is something I am proud to be and I am proud to be teaching the next generation of young women how important their role is in the future of agriculture.
Debbie Elder is a native of Ottawa County, Okla. and lives on her farm in Webster County, Mo. To contact Debbie, call 1-866-532-1960 or by email at [email protected].
