
Nurturing a new career in agriculture – Lindsay Stallman
Despite growing up with agricultural roots, Lindsay Stallman didn’t consider being a part of the industry until opportunities after university led her back to school and back to agriculture. Now the Liaison Officer for the Ontario Agricultural College at the University of Guelph, Lindsay is growing a new enthusiasm for food and agriculture. Please tell us a bit about yourself and your career path. I’m originally from Burtch, ON, a small community in Brant County. I grew up ar

9 Tips to Deal with Sexism & Unconscious Bias in Agriculture
Listening to Courtney Denard’s recent interview on Wendall Schumm and Christine Eisler’s podcast “Come Over Here & Say That”, I found myself smiling when Courtney said, “I don’t think there’s any point sitting around and bitching for four hours and then no one does anything about it”. She was talking about politicians, but I couldn’t help but think about our unconscious bias discussion. We continue to hear stories of women in agriculture who have faced sexism or bias from bot

Can I talk to the man in charge?
True stories about women in agriculture and their experiences with sexism, discrimination and just plain rudeness. Late in August, our fearless Chair was asked to present to Pioneer regarding the role of women in agriculture and wanted to get some examples of unconscious bias in agriculture. Her reason for starting AWN in 2012 was to create a forum where producers and industry professionals could come together to support each other as we strive for greater gender equality in
Is Unconscious Bias Holding Agriculture Back?
Last week, I addressed a group of producers at a Dupont Pioneer dealer’s customer appreciation event. The objective of my presentation was to raise awareness of unconscious bias in agriculture and its impact on talent retention and social license. At times, the presentation was uncomfortable, for those listening and for me. As women in a male-dominated field we are encouraged (often by ourselves) to not show weakness. We don’t share the encounters that make us uncomfortable o
Unconscious bias is a thing. Full stop.
What Are Little Boys Made of? What are little boys made of?
What are little boys made of?
Frogs and snails,
And puppy-dogs' tails;
That's what little boys are made of.
What are little girls made of?
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice,
And all that's nice;
That's what little girls are made of.
~19th Century Nursery Rhyme~ You may think that someone being sexist or biased is when misogynistic language and behaviors are being used, but there are many more s