Panel discussion highlights impact of women in agriculture

August 27, 2026 · 0 Comments

By KATHRYN FRASER

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Members of the Caledon community attended the Women in Food and Agriculture event on August 25, hosted at GoodLot Farm from 5pm to 8:30pm.

The event featured a panel discussion with five women farmers who took to the stage to share their experiences, celebrate, and talk about the importance of women in agriculture.

The United Nations has declared 2026 the International Year of the Woman Farmer, a global initiative that recognizes women’s essential contributions to the agrifood systems and drawing attention to the challenges that they have and continue to face in this role.

Panellists included Jeannette French from Lennox Farm in Melancthon, Amy Ouchterlony from Fiddle Foot Farm in Mulmur, Karen Hutchinson from Albion Hills Community Farm in Caledon, Val Steinman from Heartwood Farm in Erin and Gail Winters from GoodLot Farm and GoodLot Farmstead Brewing Co. in Caledon.

While each farm is unique and has their own different crops, products, programs, and ways of running, the panellists provided a variety of insights not on what each farm has to offer but also what it means for them to be female farmers and what they hope to see in the next generation of women in agriculture.

From 500-acre vegetable farms to community gardens, regenerative farming, agricultural events and on-farm craft brewery, the panellist conversation explored many topics including the roles women farmers have as food producers, mothers, teachers, community builders, and stewards of the land.

The panel was moderated by In the Hills Magazine Publisher Tralee Pearce who asked the panelist several questions and moderated the Q&A session after the panel discussion.

Money raised for this event will go towards Headwaters Food and Farming Alliance’s Farm to School Program, which has been providing food and farming education to elementary students throughout the Dufferin County and Caledon area for the last decade.

Before the panel, attendees are participants were provided light refreshments and a complimentary drink. All food and drinks were provided by Crowded Table and Carney Country Catering.

One important conversation during the panel was about the challenges that are faced as a woman farmer and panellists said they were often asked where the farmer is, or look for their husbands when they are farmers as well.

“Whenever someone has a question, they always look for the farmer and I’m standing right there and they ask, like, ‘where’s your husband?’ and it’s taken me a long time to feel confident enough to know that I am the farmer and although my husband and I work as a team and we need to work together, we all have different skill sets. Until we acknowledge all of those different skill sets and how important they are, then we won’t be acknowledged as the farmer,” said Jeanette French.

The panel also discussed the term “farmer’s wife” and how we have come a long way from using it as a label.

“I like that we’re a long way from the term ‘farmer’s wife’. It’s never been a term I adopted and there’s a woman here who told me, ‘Farmer’s wife – that’s BS. We knew my mom was running the show’ and I love that line”, said Amy Ouchterlony.

Looking to the future, all the panelists expressed their hope for the next generation, continuing the work that has been done, and bringing more women into farming.

“I’m connecting a lot with younger people and younger women, so I do feel the gravity of being in that role now of speaking to people who might be wanting to get into farming,” said Steinman. “I think if I were to sum it up, I’d say, ‘Good on you. Follow your heart,’ and, ‘It’s not going to be easy, it’s going to be a wild ride,’ and reach out and connect with others who are carrying that same passion and concern, because it’s countercultural, and it’s really important.

“I would just, again, reinforce that we need to be rebuilding or rural communities to support farmers of all types, because farmer mental health is a massive national crisis, and it’s all the same stuff that’s needed to nurture new farmers to support farmers of all kinds in our communities. We can do this by building stronger communities and being curious together.”