Powered by our People: Kristie Freeman, Account Manager Agronomy, West Wyalong NSW

Tell us about your journey in agriculture: 

I grew up on a mixed farm in Central Victoria before moving to Condobolin in Central Western NSW in 2009, where my parents ran a dryland and irrigated cropping enterprise. I studied Ag Business at Charles Sturt University and then spent two years working in Canada on various cropping enterprises, before moving home at the end of 2016. I worked on the family farm for while, before starting a position with Landmark, a legacy Nutrien business at West Wyalong. This is now my sixth season at Nutrien Ag Solutions, and I’m currently managing 35,000 hectares across the West Wyalong region. On top of this, I farm with my husband’s family at Tallimba, also in the Central West of NSW.  

How can we encourage more young women to pursue careers in agriculture and break down the gender stereotypes associated with the industry?  

I remember at school being asked, “Why would you want to do ag? That’s the class the naughty boys do.” And then on the other end of the spectrum, when I was doing harvest work in Canada my employer said they prefer to hire females because they are not afraid to ask questions and a have a higher attention to detail, so the number of accidents and running repairs was usually lower. 

Both of these examples are stereotypes – and it takes a conscious effort not to play into stereotypes. For example, who in the office organises morning tea? Why should it be the female on the team? 

When it comes to recruitment, using images of women in our advertising campaigns means our roles will appeal to a wider and more diverse audience.  

From a personal perspective, it’s important to find people who will support you, whether that’s a teacher, coach or someone already in the industry who you can go to for guidance and mentorship. No matter where you live or what part of the ag industry you get into you are always going to come up against those who still view it as a ‘boys club’ but for every outdated opinion, there are plenty of people out there who wants to see you succeed and it will quickly become apparent who you can align yourself with and learn from. If you’re good at your work, your reputation does the talking for you – not your gender. 

What are some effective strategies for promoting gender equality and empowering women in leadership roles within the ag sector?  

We need to be prepared to lead in areas which are uncomfortable. It’s not enough to put policies and structures in place, we need to be clear about why we’re striving for change. Strategies such as flexible working arrangements, gender neutral paid parental leave policies and mentoring programs are all valid and important, but we need leaders and particularly men to champion the women around them. Offer opportunities to not just the person most like yourself, but look at those who can offer new opinions and different perspectives.  

How can we ensure that women's contributions to agriculture, both in the paddock and the office, are properly recognised and valued?  

Depending on your farm business structure there is often lot of unpaid work that goes on by women, but we can’t expect others to read our mind – communication is key to ensuring that you are properly remunerated for what value you bring to the farm business. 

If you were to start breaking down what you do to contribute to the farm business, especially once a family is involved, I think most men would be first to admit how much easier it makes their life and the efficiency of the business. So, it’s important to be open and vocal about your value.  

What role can mentorship and networking play in empowering women in ag and fostering their professional growth?  

I was fortunate to participate in Nutrien’s Women in Leadership Mentoring Program last year, which broadened my network outside of Central NSW to many different people across the business. It opened my eyes to all the different possibilities within our business – while I love agronomy, it doesn’t mean I always have to only be an agronomist; I can combine this role with another. Kara Bryant (Central and Southern NSW Farms Services Manager) is someone who has demonstrated this, and I really believe having these programs or mentoring opportunities have long lasting impacts on keeping women in ag. 

What steps can the ag industry, government, and other stakeholders take to ensure equal opportunities and representation for women across all aspects of the agricultural value chain?  

As an industry, we can’t keep employing the same type of people and expect to move forward at the same time. Offering mentoring opportunities (like Nutrien’s Women in Leadership and She Leads in Ag programs), setting gender targets for recruitment and deliberately investing in inclusion are all important steps; but it’s focussing on leadership where I believe we can make the greatest impact. It’s at this level where major decisions are made, where standards are set and culture is modelled.