Calling all female farmers…

 

The closing date is approaching to find the NFU Cymru / NatWest Wales Woman Farmer of the Year.

Rural women are being urged to enter the 2010 competition, which - now in its 14th year - has helped to celebrate the contribution of women in what is still a very male-dominated industry.

Think of a farmer, and the image that comes to mind is probably a man. But a competition run by NFU Cymru strives to change that by raising the profile of women in farming.

The reality today is that many farms are run in partnership, and the ‘farmer’ is not always a man. Women are not only running farms, but also in today’s tough financial climate, often running a separate business to bolster the family income, while juggling childcare and family life.

Previous winners have raised the profile of women in agriculture and used their success to reach out and encourage other women.

Stephen James, NFU Cymru Deputy President said: “Women in farming are still very much the hidden heroines of the industry. Very few want to claim the limelight, preferring instead to contribute behind the scenes. Many children have been raised on farms sitting on pushchairs watching mum pull calves or milk cows or drive the tractor. This competition is for ordinary women, who perhaps don’t realise that what they are doing is extraordinary.”

“Women make a tremendous contribution to farming and we want to recognise that,” explained Andy Woodthorpe, Natwest’s Regional Agricultural Manager for Wales, the competition’s sponsor. “It never fails to amaze me how women involved in farming manage to accomplish so much. If not farmers in their own right, many have set up alternative enterprises as farm incomes have fallen.”

The winner will receive £500 and the two runners up £100. The closing date is Friday, 29 October 2010.

Anyone interested in entering or nominating someone for the competition should contact NFU Cymru in Builth Wells for an application form. Telephone: 01982 554200, Email: sarah.jones@nfu.org.uk or write to: NFU Cymru, Agriculture House, Royal Welsh Showground, Builth Wells, Powys, LD2 3TU.