Women working in Scottish agriculture will be ‘making their voices heard’ this week at a conference with the central theme of building communication and confidence in female farmers.
Held in Edinburgh this Tuesday (November 6), the Women in Agriculture Scotland event will feature a range of speakers and panellists to inspire women in farming, forestry and rural businesses to recognise their collective contribution and give them a valuable opportunity to network.
Women in agriculture
Keynote speaker Joyce Campbell, a sheep farmer from Sutherland, co-chairs the Scottish Government’s Women in Agriculture Taskforce with Fergus Ewing, Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy.
The former Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) student said: “I will be focusing on my journey in the Scottish agricultural industry. I will talk about how I became confident to speak up and have my voice heard and how I use social media to tell my story.
Everyone who’s involved in Scottish agriculture, including the companies which support our farms, all have brilliant stories to tell but we all need to get that message out to the consumers.
Hosted by the Royal Bank of Scotland in its conference centre at Gogarburn, the event will also hear from Julia Latto and Darlene Braithwaite from Scottish Enterprise and will feature a social media surgery.
Following a networking lunch, a panel discussion will be chaired by Alan Laidlaw, chief executive of the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland.
Panellists will include:
- Robert Neill, Agri-Scot chairman and award-winning farmer;
- Colin Ferguson, dairy farmer and Scottish Enterprise rural leader; and
- Sally Williams, director of The Oxford Farming Conference.
June Geyer, chair of Women in Agriculture Scotland, said: “We want to help women to have the confidence to do what they’re capable of. At our events, you can have someone from the corporate world sitting alongside someone who physically runs a farm, and they all swap knowledge and experiences.
“I am looking forward to hearing how ‘making your voice heard’ means so many things to so many people and to share lunch and ideas with other women in agriculture.
“Our events are going from strength to strength as they’re an excellent way for like-minded women to get together and learn from one another.”
