Pilgrim calls for more support for women, young people in ag

Jess Pilgrim is paving the way for other young women in the industry and is calling for more training and mentoring opportunities.

She is president of the Nhill and Districts Young Farmers Club and a member of the state government's Young Farmers Advisory Council.

She grew up on her family's 1200-hectare mixed farm, about 12 kilometres south of Nhill.

They grow beans, canola, wheat, and barley, along with vetch, lucerne and oats for feed.

The family also run about 1000 sheep, a combination of Dohne ewes and Dohne and White Suffolk rams.

"I recognised a few years ago that our farm isn't big enough for myself and my siblings, with my brother and sister being better equipped than myself," she said.

"So I decided that if I was going to involve myself in agriculture I would have to go about it differently, whether it is by supporting farmers or by giving the young people a voice to assist them in maintaining a prosperous and sustainable future."

Ms Pilgrim said her dream had always been to work full-time on the farm.

"Growing up as a young kid, I would tag along with Pa and Dad, helping with the sheep work, which was always my favourite," she said.

"The whole family would help during the bigger farming events such as shearing, harvest, sowing and lamb marking to help get the job done.

"It was honestly the best way to grow up, there was nothing more fulfilling than putting a hard day's work in and coming home covered in dirt and dust.

"It gave me a great understanding of agriculture and I knew this was an industry I wanted to be involved in."

She said she loved the culture of the agriculture industry.

"A farmer's work is never done; there is a never-ending list of jobs to do - improvements to be made to fences, machinery maintenance to complete, and mobs of sheep needing to be shifted to better pastures," she said.

"There are no set work hours, but the camaraderie of farming communities is like no other.

"You get in a bind - it's shearing time and a roustabout has pulled out last minute - the neighbours next door are more than happy to lend a hand for a few days."

Ms Pilgrim said it was also extremely rewarding work to be involved in.

"I believe that because of the sheer hard work and time that goes into producing crops or livestock, it acquires a greater sense of accomplishment," she said.

She said was was fortunate to have grown up in a farming family, with generations working on the land before her.

"It is so special being able to learn over the years from Dad and Pa about livestock, cereal crops and general farming practices," she said.

"Being able to pass on what they have learned and incorporating the old practices with the new technology is exciting.

"There is also a sense of peace when it comes to working on the land, you feel at one with nature and there aren't many jobs in this world that allow you to feel this way.

"The space and freedom you feel is second to none, I have lived in a city and bigger towns but our farm is my favourite place to be and it will always be.

"It is a gift to be able to work in this environment on a daily basis."

Ms Pilgrim is pushing for more young women to join the industry.

"There is a lack of women and young people in leadership positions in agriculture, meaning decision-making is generally one-sided," she said.

"We need to ensure that both women and young people are represented in these leadership and advocacy roles.

"Women often lack confidence and don't recognise their own capabilities, so they don't put themselves up for leadership roles or push themselves further in their careers; - this is a personal challenge of mine.

"Childcare is also an issue in rural areas, limiting people's ability to access training or taking on roles [in the industry].

"People want to ensure young people's voices are heard, but don't give them the opportunity to step into leadership positions because they lack experience.

"This is seen in all sectors, not just agriculture."

However, Ms Pilgrim said there had been big steps forward to improve equality in the industry.

"I look around my community and there is a lot of women that are strong in their farming positions and it not only excites me but also inspires me," she said.

She said more needed to be done in the industry to promote women in leadership and management positions.

"There also needs to be more training for women to develop their communication, business and leadership skills so that they have the confidence to put themselves forward into senior positions," she said.

"I hope that more and more women and young people become involved in creating positive change in agriculture as they are the future of our industry and they need to be supported in every way possible to achieve this."

The Nhill and Districts Young Farmers Club was re-established in 2018 to provide a supportive network for young people in the industry.

"The group realised that there really weren't many opportunities outside of sporting events for the youth to come together," Ms Pilgrim said.