Melanie adjusts her tractor in the Alberta sun and lifts her phone to film a short clip for TikTok, showing how seeds are planted and fertilized. “Let me know if y’all are interested and I will show you the inside as well,” she states at the end. The comments respond instantly, asking for a closer look.
Her videos have racked up millions of views, and she is not alone. Across TikTok and Instagram, women like Melanie are sharing their agriculture journeys. From raising cattle in Michigan to working with crops in Australia, they are doing it all.
Hashtags like #womeninag or #femaleagriculture have exploded in popularity, giving in to the growing online community where women educate and celebrate the work they do on farms big and small.
Meet The Women Working In Agriculture
Melanie, who has amassed over 150,000 followers as @thatfemalefarmer on Instagram and TikTok, is a third-generation farmer on a grain farm in central Alberta, Canada. She grows around six different crops and learned the value of hard work from her family.
“Growing up on a family farm inspired me to study agriculture and continue the farm,” she told Spoon University.
Melanie, who only goes by her first name online for privacy reasons, is sharing her story as part of a larger trend, women talking about their work and experiences in the agricultural field and educating the public about where food comes from on social media.
Grace Ferris, @ferriscattleco on TikTok and Instagram, has gained 48,000 followers over her platforms and is following a similar road but in a different direction. Ferris did not grow up on a farm, but married into a family that raises cattle. From there, she fell in love with the whole process and now runs a farm with her husband in Michigan. Ferris calls this her hobby farm, where they raise and show cattle and keep breeding stock. But their nine-to-five is different.
“We both work 9 to 10-hour days as engineers, and then, we head straight to the farm,” Ferris said.
But Ferris is not the only woman balancing a full-time career with her passion for agriculture. Nicole Glenn, known as @nicoleglenn_ on TikTok’s journey in agriculture started as a kid when she would ride in the tractor with her father. She now shares her journey with her 14,000 followers.
“I always knew I wanted my full-time job to include playing in the dirt, so I decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Agronomy and a master’s degree in Plant and Soil Sciences to become an agronomist,” Glenn said. This year, she decided to travel to Australia to work on a farm that grows anything from tomatoes to barley.
All three post in hopes of educating the masses on the processes behind agriculture and avoiding any possible misinformation. While their content helps inform and educate, it also sheds light on the challenges of working in agriculture, such as payment.
“Although we work with big money numbers, we also have incredibly high costs. And then we deal with many things we can not control, like the market in which we buy and sell products as well as the weather, which influences if we have a good year or actually lose a lot of money,” Melanie said.
Yet, the hard work they put into posting on social media is shown as it has become a trend. #Womeninag is a hashtag on TikTok that has accumulated thousands of posts, showing women talking about their hard work or even livestreaming it.
Challenges In The Industry
It is not easy to describe a “typical” day in agriculture, but during peak seasons, Melanie’s machines run nearly 24/7 for weeks on end. Harvesting season in August through October means workdays that are a minimum of 15 hours.
“One thing I wish more people understood about the journey from food to plate is that farming is a high-risk job,” she said. “We deal with many things we cannot control.”
While there are issues with long days and hard work, Melanie has faced issues of her own with people assuming she is less capable because she is a woman.
“Many others don’t take us seriously. They don’t believe we can run the equipment, let alone maintain them,” Melanie said.
Grace mirrored a similar sentiment. “Sometimes there’s an assumption that I don’t know as much or that I’m not as involved,” Ferris said. “But I’m proud of how far I’ve come and the role I play on our farm.”
But these challenges have yet to stop these amazingly strong and smart women. They are continuing to do what they love despite the noise. All of them began this journey to stop misconceptions about the field and teach other farmers and those who are curious. Nicole even believes that the female touch is game-changing in agriculture and that the feminine side is what brings value.
In response, the audience is loving it. One look at the comment section on one of these women’s TikToks shows viewers talking about how interesting the process is and how much they are learning about where their food comes from. While there will always be people who do not agree in the comments sections, Glenn believes it is still worth it to try, no matter the feedback she receives.
“I have experienced some backlash from individuals in the ag industry who don’t agree with my more ‘holistic’ view of agronomy, but that would be the case whether I posted videos or not,” Glenn said. “Social media is one of the greatest tools we have today for getting information out at scale. I’d be a fool not to give it at least a try.”
Instead of these challenges holding them back, they are instead fueling a powerful shift in the future.
The Future Of Women In Agriculture
Women like these three are changing the story. By sharing their experiences, they are not only educating the public but are inspiring generations of women to consider careers in agriculture. Social media exposure is only making this growing interest in agriculture bigger and faster.
“The understanding and respect is incredibly important,” Melanie said. With more women stepping into these leadership roles, the industry is growing stronger and more diverse than ever.
“The role of a woman in agriculture has been evolving greatly over the past couple of decades,” Glenn said. “Women have always been a part of farming operations, but now 56% of farms have at least one female decision-maker.” A big difference from what she saw growing up, as many women then were not working in agriculture unless it was administrative work.
That shift is becoming more visible not just in the field, but online, where women are showing their role in the industry.
“As that visibility increases, it helps break down stereotypes and shows that women are an essential part of agriculture at every level,” Ferris said.
That growing visibility is beginning to inspire people worldwide to support their local farmers and hard workers. But how do you do that?
They all shared that you can support the women in agriculture near you by continuing to learn about the process and buying local products, if not directly from farms.
The future of agriculture is not just growing in the fields but is growing in the resilient women who are taking leadership roles and inspiring future generations. Social media exposure is reshaping public perception and amplifying their stories. Behind the food on your plate, there is a story, and it is always a story worth knowing.