International Women's Day 2019: AgForce president Georgie Somerset says commodity boards need more women

Today marks International Women's Day, with the theme Balance For Better chosen for the year, encouraging gender balance in boardrooms, governments and all areas of society. 

Ms Somerset, one of the guest speakers at the International Women's Day event held by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries on Wednesday in Toowoomba, became the first female general president of AgForce last year. 

Speaking to the Queensland Country Life, Ms Somerset said Queensland Women's Week, also held this week, was a good chance to celebrate the achievements of women but also a reminder to keep striving for better balance.

"We've got strong representation on our AgForce boards but on our commodity boards, we don't," she said. 

"Women are not stepping into those leadership roles for their industries as much as I would like to see so it will be a focus over the next couple of years to see more women come through, particularly in the commodity specific roles in AgForce.

"It may be that they feel they need more technical knowledge or they need to be physically out doing the work to be able to contribute at a policy level and my experience is they probably know so much about what's going on in the paddock that physically doing the work isn't always necessary. 

"I really do want to see more of those women contributing at an industry commodity level, where we're talking about technical research, research investment and policy priorities, where industry's headed because I think women have a lot to contribute in that space."

Ms Somerset said it was important for women to find their own voice. 

"The thing is in ag there's so many opportunities, it's finding the bit you're comfortable with as a woman and I think it changes when you're doing different things," she said.

"So I've had times when I've been the admin and secretary and assistant, there's been times when I've been trying to run the business, I've had times when I'm full time on the property and now I'm really fortunate in being involved with trying to create policy change … I think it's about finding the bits that work for you.

"There's more support in place and it's probably less unusual but I look back and my mother did all the books as I was growing up so I saw my mother as a partner in the business.

"So I came into my role in ag thinking I would be a partner in the business and actively decision-making.

"I think it is how you frame it as well and it's actually stepping into the space and knowing what you have to offer." 

Ms Somerset said that there were lots of different roles within farming businesses.

"If you are making sure there's a meal on the table for everyone when they get home from mustering, it's just as important as being out doing the muster, because people need to be fed," she said. 

"Everyone does the bit they can do so I think it's actually valuing the multiple roles. 

"You might be running the business in terms of the office and not out fencing and that's ok too. 

"It's about women actually owning that their role is important."

Ms Somerset said as a woman in the industry she had often felt challenged by the perceptions of others.

"When people sort of assumed you didn't want to be part of it, you just stepped into being part of it. 

"I see part of my role as making sure women are included in the conversation, that we overtly include them in programs, committees, discussions because the other thing we know is that when women are involved in decision making and on boards, that those businesses are more sustainable and more profitable and that women bring a longer-term view to decision making."

Ms Somerset said she was "enormously grateful" for the opportunities agriculture had given her.

"I'm not sure if I had taken up my original choice when I left school of doing clinical psychology that I would have had half the opportunities I've had through agriculture," she said. 

"Essentially it's an industry that can give so much if you're prepared to actually get involved and step up to the plate."