When a visiting politician asked an impressionable 14 year old schoolgirl, Anna Truesdale from County Down in Northern Ireland, what she wanted to be when she grew up, his response to her reply was just the catalyst she needed to prove him, ‘and any others like him’ wrong!
“When I said I wanted to be a farmer, he remarked that a career in agriculture was very strange for a girl!”
That’s a pretty typical reaction and one that Anna (23) who has a first-class honours degree in agricultural technology, still encounters on a fairly regular basis. Her 30,000 followers on Instagram know better, as does anyone who has seen her in action on the family farm at the foot of the spectacular Mourne Mountains. She works long hours alongside her dad and brother, often in challenging weather conditions, milking, delivering calves and lambs, driving farm machinery and tackling all the other ‘man sized’ tasks on an equal footing with the men.
Next month, ‘@annatrues’ is one of the keynote speakers taking part in Farming Connect’s Women in Agriculture (WiA) campaign which for the first time, will take the form of a week-long online campaign, in response to the Covid 19 restrictions. During the week, Anna will post a special video, take a live Q&A session and host a webinar explaining how she turned her joint passions for agriculture and photography into a successful online business, which has not only helped promote the family farm business but also positioned her as a leading influencer, blogger and high-profile farming personality.
“With my feet firmly planted in a pair of wellie boots, I decided to use social media to showcase just what life is like for a young female farmer in Northern Ireland and hopefully inspire other young women to consider a career in this wonderful industry.”
Anna’s interest in social media began when she was in her teens.
“Social media was just becoming a ‘thing’ so I spent hours browsing all the things that mattered most to me back then, like hair, beauty and fashion - I learned about the power of people, photography and the importance of communicating.”
Now a significant influencer herself, Anna says she’s looking forward to reaching out to women in Wales and sharing her tips for succeeding in what is all too often, still regarded as a predominantly male domain.
Now in its 11th year, Farming Connect’s WiA 2020 campaign will run from Monday, June 15 to Saturday, June 20. Its aim is to encourage women from every corner of Wales and representing many different sectors of farming, forestry and horticulture to get engaged remotely for a daily ‘smorgasbord’ of online and telephone options, all aimed at giving women the confidence and knowledge they need to help develop both their personal and business skills.
A number of Farming Connect’s specialist mentors will provide interactive advice through a live streaming format throughout the week, covering topics including calf rearing, diversification enterprises, the importance of personal development and succession planning.
Additional webinar hosts include farmers Julie and Keri Davies, whose 5* tourism business in the Brecon Beacons, currently in lockdown, is still ‘Adapting to change’ as it did following a catastrophic fire which eight years ago destroyed their home and three adjoining cottages. Emma Picton-Jones from Pembrokeshire, a well-known pioneer of tackling mental health issues for young men in agriculture, will host a webinar on ‘Looking out for others’, particularly relevant as the world comes to terms with ‘social distancing’ and ‘self-isolating’.
The week also includes a series of confidential ‘one to one’ telephone surgeries, when eligible women registered with Farming Connect will be able to book a fully funded consultation for up to an hour, with topics available ranging from communications, marketing and social media to diversification schemes, succession and planning issues.
Eirwen Williams, director of rural programmes with Menter a Busnes, which together with Lantra Wales delivers Farming Connect on behalf of Welsh Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, says that encouraging women in farming to keep in touch and support each other is particularly important at these challenging times.
“Despite not being able to organise our usual annual ‘face to face’ events which every year since 2009, have brought hundreds of like-minded women working in the industry in Wales together, we believe that this year’s online programme will inspire, motivate and also raise morale at this difficult time for us all.”
A detailed timetable for each day throughout the Women in Agriculture campaign, together with online booking forms are available at www.gov.wales/farmingconnect. Eligible individuals registered with Farming Connect are advised to book their online places for all activities as soon as possible, as apart from the webinars, the surgeries will be one-to-one and the mentoring sessions limited by numbers. For further information email Delyth.evans@menterabusnes.co.uk or call 01970 600176.
Farming Connect, which is delivered by Menter a Busnes and Lantra, has received funding through the Welsh Government Rural Communities - Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Government.