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Showcasing women who farm

Showcasing women who farm

A filmmaker hopes a new documentary will highlight women in ag

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

An Alberta filmmaker wants to showcase the diversity in the province’s ag industry.

Kelsey van Moorsel, pictured above, is one of the producers of Picture A Farmer, a documentary that focuses on women who are taking ownership of the title of farmer.

Women have always been an important part of agriculture, but haven’t always received the recognition, said Moorsel, who grew up on a sugar beet farm in Alberta. She honed her film skills at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ont.

“I’ve always been surrounded by strong farm families. I have seen these strong women who have been heavily involved in keeping their farms afloat but often didn’t identify themselves as a farmer,” she told Farms.com today.



 

Van Moorsel wants viewers of the documentary to come away with a different idea of what a farmer is.

Farmers are not always middle-aged white men, she said.

Women “were always either the farmer’s wife or the farmer’s daughter, even though, in addition to raising children, they were out on the combine or herding cattle,” she said. “I want to change some of these unconscious biases about what women are doing on the farm.”

Data also highlights women’s involvement in ag.

Canada had a total of 77,970 female farmers in 2016 and they accounted for 28.7 per cent of the total survey pool, the census of agriculture says. That percentage was up slightly from 2011, when women accounted for about 27 per cent of Canadian farmers.

The census figures, as well as farmers’ use of social media, are facilitating discussions about female farmers, van Moorsel said.

“The perception is changing, and people are more open to highlighting the stories of women in ag,” she said. “There’s still more work to be done and we’re hoping this film project can help.”

Van Moorsel is hopeful the project will receive some funding to help it along.

She applied for support through TELUS STORYHIVE. The telecommunications company will provide financial assistance for 30 projects. Community votes will determine half of the winners and a panel will select the other 15.

The recipients will be revealed Sept. 7.

Kelsey van Moorsel photo


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Canada's Agriculture Day 2025

Video: Canada's Agriculture Day 2025

Let's celebrate Canadian agriculture.

Well, number one, you don't eat without farmers. Farmers put food on the table. And what could be more important than that?

Well, I think it's important that Canadians understand exactly what takes place, what happens to produce this food, no matter what sector you're talking about.

An awful lot of work goes into that. It's important to understand that meat does not come out of a showcase, and milk does not come out of a bottle. It's produced by farmers and hard work.

Canada has the best farmers in the world. And agriculture is vital to Canada.

In 2024, our agriculture and agri-food sector represented $150 billion of Canada's GDP, nearly $100 billion of our exports, and one in nine jobs.

From grains to fruits to dairy and beef, we are truly blessed with an incredible bounty. Having spent my whole life in agriculture, I see so much potential for the sector.

This time last year, I was proud to open our first-ever agriculture and trade office in the Indo-Pacific, the world’s fastest-growing economy, to cement our presence in the region and grow our exports even more. We've also been making historic investments to help our farmers to boost their yields, protect the planet, and earn a fair living.

The world wants more top-quality, sustainable food, and I know our Canadian farmers can deliver. And it's so important that you do that with pride. We need you.

Quite simply, you eat the most top quality food in the world. You do that because of the quality of farmers and ranchers you have in this country.

Just say thank you to a farmer or a rancher. They work very hard, yes, for a living, but also with a sense of pride in what they produce.

That's what Canada's Agriculture Day is all about.