In our final article by SRUC Rural Business Management students on women in agriculture, Alanah Gordon speaks to Nicola Wordie about breaking stereotypes and thriving in the industry
We spoke with farmer Nicola Wordie to share her positive experience of working in agriculture. Nicola was born and bred on a family farm located in Aberdeenshire. After leaving school Nicola head to SRUC Craibstone, where she completed her HND in Agriculture before jetting off to New Zealand for 3 months to work on dairy and bull fattening farms. Since returning home in 2018 to start working full-time alongside her dad, Nicola has picked up more responsibility in the sheep enterprise. In 2021, Nicola decided to start up her social media accounts (@Livestockfarmher) to bridge the gap between the producer and the consumer. Nicola uses her social media to show the good and the bad and feels it allows her to connect with other farmers as well as the wider public. Nicola expressed that since starting up her social media, it has brought her so many wonderful opportunities as well as a safe space for others to be open and honest.
- What do you feel are the hardest parts of the job?
- One of the hardest parts of farming is dealing with things that are out of our control — like weather, pests, or market changes. No matter how much planning we do, those factors can still have a big impact. It takes patience, adaptability, and problem-solving to keep things running smoothly despite those challenges.
- What do you feel are the best parts of the job?
- The best part of farming is seeing the results of your hard work — watching crops grow or animals thrive because of the care and effort you’ve put in. It’s very satisfying to know that what you do each day directly contributes to feeding people and supporting the community.
- What is your most memorable moment in the women in ag industry?
- Seeing young women get excited about farming and take on new challenges with confidence. Being able to encourage and support them showed me how important it is to lift each other up and inspired me to continue sharing our industry online.
- What’s your favourite time of year and why?
- I absolutely love springtime. Lambing and calving keep you busy, and there’s such a sense of new life and energy on the farm. The weather starts to turn, grass starts to green, and you can really feel the year coming alive again. It’s a reminder of why I love what I do. Being part of the cycle of caring for animals and watching everything grow.
- What helped you most in getting to where you are today?
- The biggest thing that’s helped me get to where I am is growing up around people who love the land and animals as much as I do. My parents taught me the value of hard work, patience and care.
- Do you think women in ag is promoted well/enough?
- I think it has improved a lot in recent years. There’s more recognition now of the important roles women play on farms and across the industry. However, there’s still room for improvement. More visibility, especially for younger women starting out, would help show that agriculture offers great opportunities for everyone, not just men.
- Do you think there is enough support given for women in the industry?
- It’s inspiring to see more groups, events, and networks forming. I think continuing to share success stories and encourage collaboration will help more women feel supported and valued in the industry.
We would like to thank Nicola for taking the time to answer our questions and providing us with her story, which really highlights the dedication and passion required to work in the industry. Nicola’s story and her social media highlight the positives and the negatives of the job, but most importantly educates the public and provides support to other women in agriculture.
Alanah Gordon
Thank you for reading our article. We would greatly appreciate if you could fill out the quick survey linked below so we can collect some feedback as part of our Communications in Agriculture module at SRUC.
https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/sruc/article-feedback