By Blake Jackson
Earlier this year, the American Farmland Trust’s (AFT) New York Women for the Land team launched a two-year farm mentorship program in western New York.
This initiative is designed to support beginning women farmers by pairing them with experienced mentors who have faced and overcome similar challenges in agriculture.
Starting a farm today is difficult, and women often encounter additional barriers. These include balancing caregiving duties, working off-farm jobs, and struggling for recognition as serious farmers.
Women are also more likely to experience lower profits, higher dropout rates, and limited access to resources. Despite these challenges, women continue to play a vital role in the agricultural sector.
In New York, 37% of farms are owned or co-owned by women, many of whom focus on producing food for local communities.
As part of the mentorship program, AFT selected two experienced women farmers to mentor two mentees each over the course of the project.
Amanda Grisa, co-owner of Schenk Homestead Farm in Naples, New York, grows vegetables year-round and sells them at the Brighton Farmer’s Market. “I am excited to be able to share things that we have learned on our farm,” shares Amanda, “and the background business information that I wish I knew earlier in my farm career. I wanted to become a mentor because I was excited to be able to help others and to act as a sounding board for new farmers.”
Her mentees, Maria and Ashley, are at different stages in their farming journeys. Maria, new to the Finger Lakes region, said, “[Mentorship] allows me to feel less like I am in this alone and more like I am a part of a community of people doing hard things together.” Ashley, currently working at Foodlink in Rochester, hopes to start a cooperative farm with loved ones.
In Springville, mentor Laura Colligan of Dirt Rich Farm is guiding Allison and Katie. Laura reflected, “I didn't come from a farming family, so I learned how to farm by interning on farms as a young adult. When I dreamt of my future farm, I always figured interns would be part of it, and I looked forward to training them and watching them go on to start farms of their own. The way things have worked out, though, I don't have the capacity to house employees.”
Photo Credit: gettyimages-pixdeluxe
Categories: New York, Business, Education