
ASK AWN - How AWN Uses the “Em” Words
A collaborative post by
the members of AWN Embark, embrace, empathy, empower! Those are definitely words that represent the Ag Women’s Network. In the fall of 2013, a group of young women interested in agriculture met around a dinner table and discussed their futures and how they saw the future of agriculture. They embarked on a path to form the Ag Women’s Network. Over a short period of time, more than 1000 women have embraced this idea and the networking and personal d

Announcing Our New Brand Identity & Structure
Guelph, Ont., March 29, 2016 – The Ag Women’s Network (AWN) is proud to unveil their new brand identity and organizational structure to reflect the network’s evolution from informal roots to a growing movement that connects women across Canada and celebrates career success in agriculture. “We were initially focused on connecting young professionals,” explains Jennifer Christie, the network’s Chairperson. “But over time, our membership grew to include women from all facets of

Industry Profile - Rayanne Frizzell
Rayanne Frizzell lives in on Prince Edward Island with her husband Chris and three children Curtis (7), Rachel (5) and Hannah (1). Her career and volunteer work focuses on the planning and execution of large-scale events. She shares with us her experiences as the General Manager of the PEI Provincial Exhibition and co-chair of the Atlantic Farm Women's Conference. If you are interested in connecting with Rayanne, contact her via email at rayanne.frizzell@gmail.com Please tell

Keeping our Kids Safe - Farm Safety Week
Happy Farm Safety Week everyone!! So it’s farm safety week, what does that mean? We will be extra safe for one week of the year? Or do we all try to implement a safer way to do an on-farm task? How do we carry the lessons learned this week throughout the entire year? Honestly, growing up on a dairy farm in Newfoundland we were kind of terrible at safety. Not that we did a lot of unsafe things, but because a lot of tasks on the 220 milking herd were dangerous for kids, my brot

Finding a happy ending on the farm - Brianne Brown
Brianne Brown didn’t picture her life to turn out as it did but she loves it all the same “My life would make a really good movie,” Brianne Brown told me over the phone during our two-hour interview that felt more like a conversation with an old friend. We both laughed at her remark but after hearing her story, I have to say I tend to agree. Brianne was born and raised on her family’s dairy farm in Shelburne. She was the oldest of three children and in love with the farm from

AWN Re-Launch Event - March 29th, 2016
Join us March 29th to celebrate our network for a fun night of networking and discussion. We will be hosting events across Canada as well as live tweeting to ensure all of the network has an opportunity to participate. LOCATIONS:
Thompson Restaurant at the Hyatt Calgary for 5:30pm
Stampede Ranch Guelph 7:30 pm
Stay tuned for more information - we hope you can all attend! ............................................................. The Ag Women’s Network was first started

Industry Profile - Marie McNabb
Marie McNabb is a dairy farmer in Waterloo County who shares her expertise on the Gay Lea Foods Co-Operative Limited Board of Directors. She is also a leader in her community, stepping up to help in leadership roles in various organizations. As part of #AWNGetOnBoard week, she shares her experiences to help support and inspire other women in Getting on Board! If you’re interested in connecting with Marie, contact her via email at callumlea@gmail.com Marie McNabb with Husband

So what can we do to get more women on AG Boards?
In Ontario, it is clear that we have the interest to achieve gender equality on boards, and while many people feel that implementing gender quotas on boards, many women have identified that they do not want to be selected for a board that has a gender quotas. Women want to be selected for a board based on ‘merit’ and not for their gender. (For the records, I believe that quotas are a wonderful solution. I think that perhaps to achieve a world where gender equality is the norm