Women Were Made to Farm
Recently, Dairy Carrie wrote a post about why we women (married women, which I am not) say "I am the farmer's wife" instead of considering themselves farmers. I thought a lot about her post and wondered why it is so hard for some women to identify themselves as farmers. I personally consider myself a farmer and hope that I will continue to do so when I get married. I also started thinking about the different make ups of man and woman and made a list of why women might make even better farmers than men! Please men, don't take my list to heart. You still need to keep farming, because I will be looking for one of you "farmers" to marry in the future, but this post is about empowering the women!
Hips- they don't lie
I don't know how many times I have carried hay, feed, or a calf propped on my hip. I hold gates open, move things when my hands are full, keep a cow off of me. and many more things with them. When I use my hips I feel empowered!!!
Arms and Hands
I am now artificially inseminating and when it comes to a heifer I can get my skinny arms in her and use my little hands to move inside to breed her. Once, my Pop and I were at a sale and these people locked their keys in their truck! Guess who could get her arm in the cracked window the best, ME! I got that truck unlocked with the help of a show stick but the other guys could barely get their hand in, I got shoulder deep!
Small statue
I may not be the skinniest gal on the block but I can get in tiny places most men can't. I am always the one to pack the nose of the cattle trailers because I am small. I used to be the one to get in the feed bin. I am always the one to crawl in the hay loft: one because I can scale the wall to get up and two I'm not scared of the floor collapsing or the creatures that roam!!
Eyes
My momma always told me to just bat my eyelashes at my dad and I could get whatever I want! It seems to work on all the men! My Pop bought me two heifers he DID NOT want because I put on the charm and batted my eyes. Women are also very detailed. We see things men don't. We may see the disposition of calf change before men. As natural caregivers, we notice when they get sick earlier and are able to identify problems men may not recognize.
It's not all about the physicality of a woman- The above aspects are all physical in nature but I think their is more to meets the eye when it comes to why women make good farmers. God has blessed women with traits that go hand in hand with nurturing animals and crops. Women are very detailed. We see things men don't. We may see the disposition of calf change before men. As natural caregivers, we notice when they get sick earlier and are able to identify problems men may not recognize. We are multi taskers! Yes, sometimes that gets us into trouble as we tend to take on too much, but most of the time that allows to think at a rapid pace, analyzing multiple problems and once and solving them all in a short amount of time!
Farming has always been a "mans world" but the reality is that women are and have always been a vital part of running an operation. I call myself Farmer Madison because I have every right to work alongside men any day of the week. I can't wait to work along WITH my husband on the farm. Together we will make a strong team each offering different skills and abilities. And... We can both call ourselves FARMERS!!
Hips- they don't lie
I don't know how many times I have carried hay, feed, or a calf propped on my hip. I hold gates open, move things when my hands are full, keep a cow off of me. and many more things with them. When I use my hips I feel empowered!!!
Arms and Hands
I am now artificially inseminating and when it comes to a heifer I can get my skinny arms in her and use my little hands to move inside to breed her. Once, my Pop and I were at a sale and these people locked their keys in their truck! Guess who could get her arm in the cracked window the best, ME! I got that truck unlocked with the help of a show stick but the other guys could barely get their hand in, I got shoulder deep!
Small statue
I may not be the skinniest gal on the block but I can get in tiny places most men can't. I am always the one to pack the nose of the cattle trailers because I am small. I used to be the one to get in the feed bin. I am always the one to crawl in the hay loft: one because I can scale the wall to get up and two I'm not scared of the floor collapsing or the creatures that roam!!
Eyes
My momma always told me to just bat my eyelashes at my dad and I could get whatever I want! It seems to work on all the men! My Pop bought me two heifers he DID NOT want because I put on the charm and batted my eyes. Women are also very detailed. We see things men don't. We may see the disposition of calf change before men. As natural caregivers, we notice when they get sick earlier and are able to identify problems men may not recognize.
It's not all about the physicality of a woman- The above aspects are all physical in nature but I think their is more to meets the eye when it comes to why women make good farmers. God has blessed women with traits that go hand in hand with nurturing animals and crops. Women are very detailed. We see things men don't. We may see the disposition of calf change before men. As natural caregivers, we notice when they get sick earlier and are able to identify problems men may not recognize. We are multi taskers! Yes, sometimes that gets us into trouble as we tend to take on too much, but most of the time that allows to think at a rapid pace, analyzing multiple problems and once and solving them all in a short amount of time!
Farming has always been a "mans world" but the reality is that women are and have always been a vital part of running an operation. I call myself Farmer Madison because I have every right to work alongside men any day of the week. I can't wait to work along WITH my husband on the farm. Together we will make a strong team each offering different skills and abilities. And... We can both call ourselves FARMERS!!
Some very good points! I think the patience thing really plays a big role as cattle can really sense this. Oh and when I took my AI training class I was the only girl in it. After seeing all the guys with huge hands/arms I remember thinking cows are going to LOVE me with my small hand/arm!!
ReplyDeleteHa, I admire your passion. I think it mostly has to do with a division of labour. One is in the field, and one stays at home with children. Beleive it or not, it's a full time gig raising kids.... But if you want a house huusband, more power to ya!
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