Farm Progress partnered with University of Nebraska-Lincoln at the 2024 Husker Harvest Days event to present a new program, Women in the Field. A series of speakers on Wednesday shared perspectives on topics ranging from starting farm businesses to prepping harvest meals.  

Four women in agriculture joined Linda Emanuel, community health director at AgriSafe Network, for the first panel of the day: The Ag Juggling Act: Navigating Work and Life with Balance.

The panel of agriculture professionals and farmers shared advice for fellow women in agriculture:

Communication is key

Dayna Wasserburger is a sixth-generation farmer and mother of four at TD Angus in North Platte, Nebraska. As her and her husband conquer tasks around the farm, she says communication is a priority.

“Things as simple as group text messages and check in with each other throughout the day makes life easier,” Wasserburger explains.

Block off time

In addition to working full-time for her career, Kate Lambert manages Uptown Farms with her husband while raising two boys.

With so many tasks on her plate, Lambert says creating time blocks for different responsibilities creates boundaries to accomplish tasks without distractions. She dedicates time for her career, farm chores, housework and family.

Related:How to start a diverse farm business

Physical space also helps. “It sounds silly, but it’s been powerful for me to physically transition when I’m working on my career,” Lambert explains. “I have my office in the basement, so I go downstairs to create the physical barrier which allows me to focus.”

Lambert prioritizes time each day for her physical health. Each morning, she devotes an hour to running, walking or lifting, which she says gives her time to reflect and think about the day ahead.

“I’m very blessed that when I’m not traveling, I work from home the majority of the time,” says Lambert. “That allows for more flexibility with my morning routine.”

Check in with yourself

Rachael Whitehair stays busy advising farmers in her role with Nebraska Corn. “Agriculture is in a golden age of innovation, but there’s also always 10 fires to put out,” she says.

“I try to schedule regular check-ins with myself – like talking a walk with my dog,” Whitehair explains. She runs through a series of questions in her head, evaluating:

Set your own expectations

Lambert says she spent many years bearing guilt for how society thought she should prioritize her time.

“The culture we live in tells us we should focus 100% of our time on our kids,” Lambert says. “When I was leaving the farm to travel for work, I’d feel guilty – not for leaving my kids, but because I didn’t feel guilty for leaving my kids.”

Related:Women in agriculture lead conversations at Husker Harvest Days

To help provide for her family, Lambert knew it meant leaving the family and farm to focus on work at certain times during the year. Despite societal pressures, Lambert decided to set her own expectations – she didn’t need to be at every single event for her kids.

“Since my husband and I were able to let that go, we’ve been in a better place,” Lambert says.

She reminds other women that it’s okay to let go of certain responsibilities at certain times of the year. “The socks in the laundry basket might not get folded,” Lambert laughs. 

Leverage positive stressors

As the conversation continued, panelists emphasized that not all stressors are negative.

Whitehair says she feels pressure to keep up with the cutting edge of agricultural technology. It keeps her on her toes, even when it means deciding between meetings and prioritizing opportunities.

“Sometimes good stress is the result of bad stress,” says Tracy Zeorian, third-generation custom harvester and creator of HarvestHer. “Our emotions are there for a reason and a purpose. As a community, we can relate to those emotions and help each other through those times.”

Lambert intentionally adds positive stressors to her life to keep her on track. “I instill deadlines – mostly arbitrary ones I add to my calendar – because that’s how I know I respond to things best,” she says.

Emanuel wrapped up the conversation with a quote from Dolly Parton, “Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.”

The Women in the Field program was developed to recognize the contributions of women in agriculture, increase female representation across the Farm Progress brands and foster long-lasting relationships that align with the future of the agriculture industry.