Women in Agriculture

Miranda Neville, Ag. Resource Specialist, BCCD
Breanna Ameigh, West Nile Virus Coordinator, BCCD
Last week, on April 4th, we hosted our second Women in Agriculture event at Alparon Park in Troy, PA. We had 60 fellow women in agriculture, along with some sweet, little future Women in Ag. We wanted to provide an opportunity for women in surrounding counties to come together, hear insightful speakers, network with other related businesses, and enjoy a day filled with knowledge, laughter and camaraderie. 

---

We were honored to have a great lineup of speakers. Jessica Newman, of SouthView Station farm walked us through her operation, genetic highlights, and marketing strategies on her beef, sheep operation. Denise Howland of Dirt Road Herbals and Beth Ward of Maple Hollow Products gave us an exciting presentation on what it is to be an herbalist and encouraged the confidence to try our hand at natural products. Stephanie Vargason of Homestead Ecofarm highlighted the ability to produce high quality product on small acreage. And Hailey Painter of Painterland Sisters walked us through their insightful journey to continue the legacy of their family dairy farm by diversifying their product from fluid milk to skyr yogurt. 

The support of women in agriculture is vital as women are an often underrepresented portion of this industry. 36% of the producers of the United States are women according to the 2017 Census of Agriculture (USDA). Promoting these women involved in various forms of agriculture can influence others to join the often male-dominated industry. Additionally, supporting our local women helps keep their businesses running and successful. We must continue to empower and educate our current and future female farmers of our community as our numbers continue to increase.

The most valuable resources we can have are the connections to those who inspire us. Learning from those who have been through struggles of starting up businesses and sharing their wisdom and expertise is critical in guiding future generations on the path to success. Our goal at the BCCD is to continue to be able to facilitate these types of meetings to continue to boost agriculture in our community. To all of our sponsors, speakers, vendors, and attendees; A very heartfelt Thank you!
 
The Bradford County Conservation District is committed to helping people manage resources wisely.  You can visit the Bradford County Conservation District at 200 Lake Rd in Wysox across from the Wysox Fire Hall. Contact us at (570) 485-3144 or visit our web page at www.bccdpa.com.