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Celebrating Women in Agriculture
Kortni Harness
Kortni Harness has been working as an agronomist for almost a decade. Growing up on a farm, seeing the challenges farmers face and having a passion for agriculture all led her to agronomy.
“I think it’s good for women to know they can be in a male-dominated industry,” said Kortni, adding that there are more women in the field now than when she started.
One of the things she loves most about her job is that every day is different. There are always new challenges, and you have to be ready to think quickly on your feet. She also finds fulfillment in seeing the farmers she works with have a successful year and watching those crops come off after all the work and time they’ve put into them.
At home, she also farms with her husband and shows their three children how the agronomy side and the farming side tie together.
Shawna Laroque
A second-generation farmer, Shawna Laroque has been at the farm since she was 5 years old. She has always been interested in farming, spending her childhood summers haying. After graduation, she explored other career options before making the decision to return to the farm.
Now, Shawna has been farming full-time for about 14 years. On their farm, she said they like to have a few women around working.
“If there’s women that are interested in that lifestyle, it’s a challenge, but if they are geared that way, they can actually be really successful.”
The challenges are what Shawna likes most about farming. She likes that there isn't one way to solve a problem. You come up with your own plan, and how you approach something can look completely different from someone else.
Pam Nickel
Pam Nickel has been exposed to agriculture her entire life, going out after piano lessons to learn how to milk cows. Now, she lives each day surrounded by animals. Their farm has cattle, horses and a couple of pigs, and she also does ag consulting.
For Pam, farming is more than just day-to-day work; it’s a lifestyle. She describes it as a partnership with your animals, and says farming has the ability to really grow who you are as a person. Every day brings new challenges, big or small, and an opportunity to learn from those experiences.
“I don’t think there is anything greater than learning what you are capable of doing and the feelings of accomplishment that comes with that.”
She has also been teaching equestrian lessons with 4-H for almost 30 years. She finds it rewarding to work with people of all ages and help them expand their knowledge.
Brittany Filuk
Brittany Filuk is a grain merchant and farms with her husband and parents. Together, they raise cattle, and she and her husband started grain farming in 2021. Growing up in agriculture, Brittany says it becomes a part of who you are.
She has been working as a grain merchant for almost 20 years, and throughout her career, she has seen the industry adapt to having more women in the workforce.
For Brittany, it’s the people that keep her drawn to the industry. She says the people in agriculture are some of the most innovative and creative people you can meet.
“This year has been extraordinarily tough, and yet they just adapt, they change, and they make a new plan. Nobody seems to quit. They just come up with something else to keep going. They are incredible, resourceful people.”
At home, she and her husband have three kids who live and breathe farming. They also have pet pigs and chickens.
Kristin Hulme
Kristin Hulme has been embracing farm life for about 16 years. She says she married into agriculture, but didn’t become overly involved until she and her husband made the decision for her to stay home with their kids.
Kristin says she has no regrets and is lucky that agriculture gave her the opportunity to stay home with her children, raising all three of them on the farm. Growing up, they napped in tractors, fed the cows, and she even strapped the youngest to her in a sling to do chores while she was a baby.
She says calving and the babies in the springtime are her favourite part of the job.
“When we go out and feed them, they just get so excited and are running all over the place.”
On top of taking care of the cattle every day, Kristin is also a bus driver during the school year.
Jocelyn Marchuk
Jocelyn Marchuk was born and raised on a farm. She has been married for 39 years and has since raised her own family on the farm. She says it’s a great way to raise your kids, and it’s a good life, but it isn’t always an easy one. It takes lots of hard work and long hours.
For about 26 years, Jocelyn has climbed into a combine during harvest, spending her fall in the driver's seat. In the past, she has also helped with the cows and harrowing in the spring. She says they do what they can to make it work as a family.
“It takes a team, you can’t do anything with just one person. For us, we’ve always been a team.”
During the winter, Jocelyn fills her time with quilting. She tests patterns for designers, teaches people the art of quilting and inspires them to create.
Jodi Suchoplas
Jodi Suchoplas is a full-time farmer and entrepreneur. She was raised around animals and always loved the farm lifestyle. She says being on the farm is never boring because there’s always something to do.
Her favourite part of being on the farm is working with her dad every day. She also enjoys having more family around for the larger jobs with the cows and being outside.
Jodi’s work with the cows is what led her to create the TestiGrip, a tool she invented to help her on the farm and now sells around the world.
She says it’s good to see women in agriculture set an example that other girls can do it too.
“We can do everything. We can run the equipment, we can do most of the physical work too. Our daughter comes out and sees us do it, so hopefully she’ll carry it on.”
Jodi and her husband have five kids, and she says she is lucky that her mom can watch them for her each day.
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