Advertisement

Helping women step into farm management

Women Together Learning’s program “Stepping into Leadership” helps overcome the challenges of farm management as a young woman. 

Aug 14, 2024, updated Aug 14, 2024
Farm manager Ellen Arney said the Stepping into Leadership program was beneficial. Photo: supplied

Farm manager Ellen Arney said the Stepping into Leadership program was beneficial. Photo: supplied

26-year-old farm manager Ellen Arney stepped into a managerial position in 2021 at Inverbrackie Border Leicester Stud in Finniss, after her father Lynton was ready to start the succession.  

Being in her mid-twenties and looking for a sense of direction, Arney applied for Women Together Learning’s program “Stepping into Leadership”. 

“I’ve been manager of the farm for about a year before I applied. I thought it was beneficial to do a course like [the program] to enhance my skill set,” Arney said. 

“I knew I was young to be managing the farm; I was only just able to qualify [for the Stepping into Leadership program] at my age! I started doing the job that most people normally do in their 30s and 40s.” 

Women Together Learning is in its 11th year of hosting the Stepping into Leadership program for women looking to break into agribusiness. The annual program enables 15 women from across South Australia to build leadership skills through face-to-face workshops, networking events, individual coaching and online discussion groups. 

Arney said the course has helped her both personally and professionally: “You learn a lot more about yourself and the things you don’t know about yourself, like your values, strengths and weaknesses and how to utilise them,” she said. 

Ellen Arney stepped into a managerial position in 2021 in Finniss. Photo: supplied

“I suppose what I took away from the course is how different people work; there’s so many different personality types and some people work best learning in different ways.” 

Stepping into Leadership taught Arney valuable coping techniques for when times get tough on the farm. 

InDaily in your inbox. The best local news every workday at lunch time.
By signing up, you agree to our User Agreement andPrivacy Policy & Cookie Statement. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

“When [managing the farm] gets overwhelming, I think back to the exercises and what makes me more calm. Because farming can obviously be not very structural and orientated, actually having a structure makes [farm management] easier for me,” she said.  

Executive officer for Women Together Learning Kim Blenkiron said the program is “about giving women the opportunity to come together and learn some leadership skills”. Blenkiron also said the changes in confidence of women prior to the program “are huge”. 

“They leave as a cohort of really connected and supportive women, and also the cohorts each year are really supportive,” she said.

“We’ve seen women who have gone through the program as a participant and come back a few years later and be mentors for the next cohort going through.” 

Women Together Learning is in its 11th year of hosting the Stepping into Leadership program. Photo: supplied

“We’ve had some graduated who are now on national boards, running their own businesses or running family farms, are on other government boards or take on leadership positions in their own communities.” 

Stepping into Leadership has helped Ellen to maintain the success of Inverbrackie Border Leicester Stud. Many of the sires bred and used in the farm’s breeding program are in the top 1%. The Inverbrackie flock average continues to sit around the top 10% of Border Leicesters. 

Arney recommended Stepping into Leadership for any female in agriculture looking to do a leadership course. 

“It’s more long term; it’s not just a two-day workshop. You’ve got mentoring and you’ve got coaching between the workshops, so it’s continually ongoing and you get more out of it than you’d expect to,” she said. 

“I think there’s a huge amount of support. Everyone who’s already in the industry is looking to help other people in the industry. 

“I just think it’s a great industry to be in — just back yourself!”  

Local News Matters
Advertisement
Copyright © 2024 InDaily.
All rights reserved.