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Jodie Goudswaard
Today, 15 October, is the International Day of Rural Women, which recognises rural women’s contribution to farming, communities and the environment.
Established by the United Nations, the day acknowledges the vital role rural women play in their communities and economies. This year’s theme is “Rural Women Farmers Caring for Mother Nature”.
Two women making an impact on the dairy sector and the environment are DairyNZ’s Jodie Goudswaard and Stephanie Gudgeon.
Goudswaard and Gudgeon took different routes into dairy farming. Goudswaard was raised on a dairy farm but married a “townie”. Gudgeon was a “city girl” who enjoyed everything rural and outdoors, and she met her husband during a short rural work placement, which set her on a life on-farm.
“I’ve always found a lot of satisfaction and enjoyment in working on the land, farming and simply being outdoors in nature. It’s a place of peace for me,” Gudgeon says.
She has now been farming for 20 years. “It was a baptism of fire initially, as I knew nothing about dairy farming. There’s an initiation period for women entering farming systems. You need time to understand the jargon, the seasonality, and the grit and hard work involved. Finding your feet in farming takes time, but it’s an incredibly rewarding journey.”
Both women have applied their rural expertise and connection with nature on their own farms.
They have planted riparian margins and native species and protected waterways, supporting healthier ecosystems alongside productive, resilient farm businesses.
“We’ve put a strong focus on targeted planting on our farm,” Goudswaard says. “Farming is a business, but it’s also your home, so it’s easy to become deeply involved in it. I’m just as at home milking cows and trimming tails as I am crunching statistics and working with sector groups.”
Goudswaard and Gudgeon help farmers apply science-based solutions that work on-farm. Goudswaard is manager of DairyNZ’s DairyBase, which is described as New Zealand’s largest and longest-running dairy benchmarking service. Gudgeon is an Area Manager in DairyNZ’s regional team.
“Being part of DairyNZ’s regional team, I feel I’m able to give back to the sector. I enjoy inspiring women to be strong, knowledgeable, confident farmers,” Gudgeon says.
Goudswaard says there is far more support for rural women now.
“Women are running farms – we’re doing everything now. Our local truck driver is a woman, our vet is a woman, and we have female neighbours farming by themselves. There is so much support available for women in dairy farming. Dairy Women’s Network is amazing, and it’s very easy to ‘find your people’. The world is waking up to the idea that women are no longer simply the ‘farmer’s wife’,” she says.
DairyNZ says the women’s stories reflect those of rural women across New Zealand who are leading farm businesses, strengthening rural communities, sharing knowledge and caring for the land. On the International Day of Rural Women, it says, the sector celebrates their collective contribution to the sector, economy and environment.
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