8 and we wouldn’t put anything out there that we wouldn’t feed our own children.” Above all other titles, she is perhaps most proud to be ‘Mom’ to Kate, Matt, Hannah and Danielle and ‘Nana’ to Oliver, born in 2022. Zilke spends much of her free time refurbishing and taking care of the family’s farmhouses and barns. PATHS TO LEADERSHIP Before this year, Grain Farmers of Ontario was one of the only commodity organizations without women on the board, which begs the question: ‘Why?’. But Maw does not feel gender is an issue within the organization. “We are one of the last to have women on the board, but there’s no negative story behind it,” she says. “It’s not that it wasn’t wanted or was frowned upon, but I think it’s a great opportunity and a great time to make the transition.” While she recognizes that some of her peers have faced roadblocks while trying to get involved in the agriculture industry, Maw feels she has been welcomed and treated the same as a man would be at both the local and provincial levels of Grain Farmers of Ontario. “My biggest concern is that I’m not interested in being with an organization that wants to have a woman on their board to check a box,” she says. “I truly believe you need to earn your position, just like everyone else.” Despite being the only woman at county or district meetings many times over her longterm involvement, Zilke does not believe gender factored into her election as a director. “I don’t think it really occurred to them that I was a woman,” she says. “They know I’m going to learn, ask questions, and give my two cents.” Although Maw and Zilke have had positive experiences, women remain underrepresented when it comes to directors and delegates. At the Women’s Grains Symposium last fall, Maw and four other delegates participated in a panel discussion about their experience as women involved in Grain Farmers of Ontario and how diversification could be improved. THE 2022 WOMEN'S GRAIN SYMPOSIUM FEATURED A PANEL DISCUSSION WITH (L-R) RACHEL TELFORD, KRISTEN CARBERRY, MARGARET VINCENT, JULIE MAW, KAYE MCLAGAN, AND JENNIFER DOELMAN. continued from page 6 Between farm and off-farm work, family responsibilities, volunteer roles, and other farm group invitations, pressures and demands on time were identified as key barriers to more women getting involved in leadership positions. Having a strong support system at home to help with farm and family commitments was discussed as vital to taking on new roles. In addition to the two new directors, 24 of the 166 Grain Farmers of Ontario delegates and alternates in 2023 are women, up from 19 last year. PAVING THE WAY While Maw and Zilke are the first-ever women on the Grain Farmers of Ontario board, there were women on two of the three commodity boards that merged to form Grain Farmers of Ontario in 2010. Anna Bragg, who co-owns Bragg Farms in Bowmanville, served as president of the Ontario Corn Producers’ Association from 1999 to 2001. In addition, Valerie Hobbs, who runs Blythe Brae Farms in Woodstock, was a director of the Ontario Soybean Growers from 2004 to 2010. l
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