Women have a powerful voice in agriculture, but would you call it equal to men?

In Australia, there are more than 88, 000 women working in agriculture across multiple industries. The numbers are growing, but women only make makes up one third of the overall ag workforce. There are also fewer women in positions of seniority, while research shows daughters only inherit the farm about 10 percent of the time.

It's a complex problem, but a key leveller is undoubtedly education and knowledge. So in this 3 part-series, sponsored by RIST, we meet three women who have gained knowledge and power to make big things happen in their fields - from farm ownership, to becoming recognised leaders and change agents in agriculture.

In this episode, we meet Rachael McGrath, winner of the 2024 Young Dairy Leader Award. At 30 years old, Rachael is managing her family's dairy farm at Orford, in south-west Victoria. She's a lover of genetics, with her own Jersey and Swiss Brown stud.

But it's actually quite amazing that Rachel has such a passion for farming... because growing up, it wasn't easy. Her family came close to losing their entire livelihood, after a tragic quad bike accident in which a man who worked on the farm was killed and another employee was seriously injured. A farm fatality is every farmer's worst nightmare. And yet here's Rachel, now building her own dream of running a farm.

Thank you to our episode sponsor: Rural Industries Skill Training (RIST)

More about RIST:

We are a leading independent provider of Training & Education for the Agricultural Sector.Located in the heart of Victoria's Western District, RIST are your Local Agricultural College with a National Reach. TOID4198

This podcast is produced by the Rural Podcasting Co.

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