For Leanne Pridham, it was not having a business card to put into a bowl at an event that made her realise the value of her role within the family farming business. This one seemingly trivial detail turned out to be a pivotal moment, creating awareness that Leanne was underestimating her value.

It is not overly uncommon for women working in farm businesses to feel this way. Somewhere along the way, and for reasons that remain unclear, farming has generally not been held in as high esteem as other professions. Identifying as a farmer, and owning that title, continues to be an ongoing challenge.

“It’s such a minor thing, a business card, but I always thought I didn’t need one because I ‘just work on the farm’,” explains Leanne, whose role in the family farm business ranges from office duties and driving heavy machinery, to strategic and big picture planning.

The event Leanne attended was WoTL’s Thriving Women Conference, an event aimed to grow and inspire women connected to agriculture.

“At that conference, my thinking was challenged. I realised there’s no reason why I shouldn’t have a business card, and I could put anything on there; finance manager, logistics manager, machinery operator, it didn’t matter. It was the permission I sought and WoTL gave me that.”

Becoming a WoTL Ambassador

Leanne lives and farms on South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula, primarily a grain growing region with her husband and three boys. Coming from a livestock background, after settling in the area she quickly realised there were some fundamental differences between livestock and cropping enterprises, particularly the number of women actively farming. Many farms in the area were being operated with traditional set-ups, with the male being the one who runs the farm, and the female as the helper and more “behind the scenes”. But in the words of Bob Dylan, “times they are a-changin’.”

After resigning from her government job to work alongside her husband on the farm, she was hungry for professional development opportunities to hone her knowledge and skills. Leanne was passionate about finding other women in her area with similar ambitions.

Leanne played a key role in revitalising the Yorke Peninsula Partners in Grain (PinG) group, which has evolved into WoTL- Yorke Peninsula. Leanne is now a WoTL Ambassador for the region. As well as encouraging women in her area to not underestimate the value of their roles within their agricultural businesses, one of Leanne’s other main motivations is to create opportunities for women to gather, and if she’s honest, to encourage conversation around the challenges (and benefits) of working alongside your life partner.

“It’s good to talk about machinery, and the general operations of a farm. But it’s also important to talk about the softer stuff, communication, leadership styles, that sort of thing. This is a language that women tend to be more fluent in and is also an area that we can really influence change.”

A large part of Leanne’s Ambassador role is organising events for the WoTL Yorke Peninsula community which has a growing network of around 60 women. Each member’s connection to agriculture ranges from identifying as being a full-time farmer themselves, through to others who work off-farm but provide support to their partners. The type of events offered are just as diverse and have included farm safety, crop walks, women’s health, yoga classes and mindfulness through art sessions.

“Feedback at the end of a workshop or event is always positive. However, a lot of the real connection takes place over a meal where honest conversations happen. You hear a lot of remarks like ‘I never thought of that’ or ‘I’m going to try that’, which is great,” explains Leanne.

“We always have good attendance. I’m proud to have helped create these connections and safe spaces for women to come and talk about their family farms. Having access to high quality facilitators and experts in their field is a huge drawcard and offers participants the opportunity to build networks that extend right across the country without having to leave the region.”

Organising events for women in her area is as much for herself as well as everyone else, however Leanne continues to witness the ripple effect and impact in the wider community.

“I had a woman come along to a farm financial workshop who hadn’t been to a WoTL event before. She had left her teaching position to come back on to the farm. She is highly operational, running a feedlot. After the event I ran into her father, who she works alongside, who told me that the event had been one of best she had attended and she learnt so much,” recalls Leanne.

In addition to her role as a WoTL Ambassador, Leanne is also a WoTL Board Director and an alumnus of the Stepping into Leadership Program.

And she still doesn’t have a business card. Not because she lacks confidence or self-value, but purely because that task is still waiting to be ticked off her to-do list!