Carrie McClain. Photo by Carolina Stamey
Highlighting Women in Agriculture
By Emma Castleberry
Four of North Carolina’s key agricultural partners have come together to launch the Ponytail Ag Campaign, which will highlight the contributions of women to North Carolina agriculture. The campaign is the result of a partnership among North Carolina Biotechnology Center, NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, NC Farm Bureau and Feed the Dialogue NC. “Leading women across the state are changing the future beyond the farm,” says Kristen Baughman, founder of Tabletop Media Group, the agency that was hired to create the campaign. “The four partner organizations feel it is important to highlight these women through video and social platforms to showcase the impact women have on North Carolina’s agriculture industry. We also hope to inspire young women who might be interested in this field for a potential career, and even women who are hoping to make a change in their current career path.”
The bulk of the campaign will take place on social media. Users on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram can see videos and other content using the hashtag #PonytailAg. A reporting crew did a tour of the state with stops in Eastern NC, Piedmont Triad, Research Triangle Park, Western NC, Greater Charlotte and Southeast NC, documenting various women in agriculture from each region. “There are so many awesome women involved in agriculture, and we are only able to just scratch the surface through this campaign,” says Baughman.
One of the campaign’s videos highlights Carrie McClain, general manager of Hart-T-Tree Farms, in Ashe County. “Agriculture is an important, even critical, industry, not just in North Carolina but across the country and throughout the world,” she says. “It is hard work subject to and dependent on the whims of nature. The more we can do to bring awareness and support to American farmers, the better.”
The Ponytail Ag campaign highlights the diversity of jobs in the agricultural industry. Agriculture spans far beyond the farm, with careers in research, technology, economic development and also opportunities in support industries like law, engineering, banking, government and insurance. “We need participation in every aspect of agriculture to support the industry and help farmers produce an income, keep their land, develop farming practices that work in harmony with the natural environment, and produce good, nutritious food and raw materials,” says McClain.
McClain has two daughters and recently spoke about her farm work to a classroom of third graders. “I asked them if farmers were men or women and they all said men,” she says. “It’s important for our community to recognize that farming is not just for men. There are women in agriculture, we just don’t often see them. Like anything else, having multiple perspectives enriches the conversation, so having more women involved in the industry creates a richer, more fertile soil to grow a healthy and robust agricultural system that benefits everyone.”
For more information, visit Facebook.com/PonytailAg, Twitter.com/PonytailAg, Instagram.com/NCAgTech or find PonytailAg on YouTube.
