After working in retail for most of her life, Shannon Pearson never imagined she’d become a fulltime dairy farmer. It was a transition that started off small. At first, she helped her mother-in-law with the business bookwork. Then there was a season helping out with calving on the property near Mt Gambier in SA’s South East. The more she did, the more she realised she enjoyed farm life. The only thing holding her back from taking on more was a lack of confidence in her skills. Now, thanks to WoTL’s Stepping Into Leadership Program, Shannon has found the confidence and a network of supportive connections which led her to embrace fulltime farming.
Shannon met her husband Adrian, a third-generation dairy farmer, in the late 1990s and the couple built their home together on his family’s farm in 2003. “I’d worked in retail forever and when I moved onto the farm people asked if I’d be milking cows soon and I always said ‘no thank you I have my own fulltime job’,” she said.
“I had my own job in retail management, and then I took time off when I had my two boys, but I went back parttime afterwards. Every year my husband asked if I wanted to help with the calving, and I always said ‘no thank you’. “After about six or seven years of him asking, I said yes. I went out and helped the woman we had doing it back then and I found I really enjoyed it. After a couple of seasons, she left and I was thrown into it. “Around that time, I also took on a bigger role with the books as my mother-in-law was wanting to do less.”
When her husband needed shoulder surgery, Shannon took on more farm work, helping out in the dairy with milking cows. With every new farm challenge she took on, Shannon looked for ways to upskill. She completed online training with Dairy Australia, but wanted to build on her knowledge further.
WoTL’s Stepping into Leadership Program
“I do love learning new skills and I love being challenged. A neighbour sent me some information about the WoTL Stepping Into Leadership Program and said ‘you should apply for this’. She said she’d done it in the previous year and she’d learnt a lot from it. So, at 10pm one night I sent the email off and then forgot all about it, until I heard back that I’d got in.”
While she was initially nervous about joining the program because she wasn’t a born and bred farmer, Shannon soon realised she was in good company.
“I walked in there thinking ‘I’m way out of my league here’ after listening to some of the others tell their stories. But you very quickly realise that just because you all did different things, nobody had a lesser voice. We all had our own strengths and things to bring to the table.
“I was the only dairy farmer there, but while we were all so diverse, our experiences were quite similar. We all connected very quickly.
“The biggest benefit for me through the program was by far the personal development aspect. I’d gone into it wanting to build my skills and knowledge, and I did do that, but I also learned so much about myself and that I already have so many skills. The whole process was a huge confidence builder.”
It was a section of the program focusing on individual values and strengths that helped Shannon understand and appreciate the value of the knowledge she’d already acquired, and how her unique skills could benefit the family business.
“The training we did on those personal value and strengths was fantastic,” she said.
“I’d done something similar in my retail training years ago, but revisiting it in the ag industry context was so helpful in understanding what I know and can bring to the table, and how other people think and work. It really does help you refocus the way you look at things on a personal level, on a family level and on a work level as well.
“There was lots of practical training as well – the section on being on a board or governing council was definitely relatable and very helpful not just from an industry perspective, but also with work at a community if you’re volunteering at local clubs or other organisations.”
During the program, Shannon was paired with fellow Limestone Coast dairy farmer Michelle Hamilton as her mentor.
“I’d never really had a mentor. I was still building my networks within our dairy community, so WoTL paired me up with Michelle. It was invaluable, I could ask any random question and she would share her knowledge and experience in such a friendly, casual way. It was great to have someone’s different outlook on things, and different ideas.”
Above: WoTL Chair Susie Green, Shannon Pearson and Minister Clare Scriven at the 2023 Stepping into Leadership Graduation.
Becoming a WoTL Ambassador
The confidence and connections she gained through the program led Shannon to become a WoTL Ambassador and she’s now hosted two Regenerate Rural Women programs in the lower Limestone Coast.
Shannon was also invited to join Dairy Australia’s training program to become a Dairy Ambassador – something she admits she wouldn’t have had the courage to do before completing SIL.
She credits the program and WoTL’s focus on educating and connecting female farmers with her newfound confidence.
“With WoTL, the unique thing with their programs is it’s women only learning together and it creates a comfortable environment. It allows a bit of vulnerability to let your guard down and make the most of a situation,” Shannon said.
“For anyone considering the program, I’d say absolutely give it a go.
“Whether you go in for the professional development, to build on your own personal development or to create new connections and friendships, it’s all worthwhile. Everyone walks away with something from it.”
Back on the farm, Shannon is putting her new skills into action regularly – and she is continuing to upskill and grow.
“I’m still learning farm skills, I don’t know all the ins and outs of all of it, but I have now built that confidence to say that the things I have learnt and the skills I do bring to the farm and the industry are valuable,” she said.
“I’ve absolutely loved my change to working on the farm fulltime. I love the flexibility it created for our life with our boys, working with the cows and calves, working with family and a great team and I love the challenges because I’m learning new things all the time.
“I’m embracing the change and I’m loving the change.”