By Ashlyn Rochester, ACN Communications Specialist
March is Women Making History Month, and March 8 is International Women’s Day. To celebrate the day and the month, we asked women in ag for their advice to other women.
Jenni Latzke, Editor of Farm Press, said:
Know your worth and learn to negotiate salary. Practice. Do your research into the cost of living, comparable salaries, and insurance and benefits. Take ownership of your future retirement plans—and invest even a little bit in a retirement plan. It pinches now as you’re young and starting out with bills, but you can’t have a shade tree for retirement if you don’t plant the seed today.
Look at every volunteer activity, board, or committee membership as a stepping stone. What skills will you polish in this volunteer effort? Who’s on the committee, and what can you learn from them? Do you have time? If the answers aren’t benefiting you, then set a boundary and say “no. ”Or “not now, but keep me in mind.” Or, “This is how I can contribute at this time.” Boundary setting is tough, but it’s perfectly fine, and actually, you’ll earn a lot of respect from your peers.
When it comes to the work, never think you know everything about the topic. There’s always room to learn. Reach outside your circle for new voices to put forth. And stretch the topic areas you’re willing to cover. It’s good for you. Even the econ and marketing stories may be intimidating.
Rosie Trump, Illinois farmer and Associate at MorganMyers, said:
Never underestimate the value of networking. Building skills is important, but ultimately, people will want to hire YOU. The more connections you can make, the more doors will open for you in the future! Learning negotiating skills is also important. Finding a mentor who holds a position you would like to be in someday would be a great place to learn skills like this!
Holly Spangler, Senior Editor of Prairie Farmer for Farm Progress, said:
Just do good work. You’ll be known for it.
International Women’s Day originated in 1911 with its first gathering of over a million people. Today, it’s a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.
For ideas on how to promote women and their rights in the workplace (especially one as male-dominant as agriculture), here are seven ideas:
- Learn about gender bias
- Support fair career growth opportunities
- Understand the complexity of issues women face
- Honor each others’ achievements
- Offer mentorship and advice
- Advocate for others’ ideas and opinions
- Expose sexist remarks
For more details, read the Forbes article “How To Support Women in The Workplace And Be an Ally” here.