Originally published in the Napa Valley Register
I come from a long line of farmers in France who have surely been farming since before French people spoke French. It is a deeply rooted cultural tradition for a husband and wife to farm a little corner of land together and have children to pass it on to.
In every generation, the woman worked as hard as her husband harvesting, milking the cows, and drying the prunes that are famous in our region. One of the woman’s main duties was to cook for the family and care for the children.
My grandmother had six children and often cooked for up to 12 people every day. While my grandfather was a good and loving father, he was not the one to actually feed, clean, and comfort his children. As in so many generations before, this task fell to the woman.
In my family, my generation is the first in which being female does not determine the role I play as a mother and a farmer. I see my husband, Robert, give the same care and attention to our son, Albie, as I do. Robert will often take Albie with him to care for our animals and farm. He puts Albie on a stool next to him while we make dinner together. He cuddles and puts Albie to sleep, and he gives Albie all the love and guidance needed to raise a child.
Robert is not the only farming father today who takes on the same responsibilities as a farming mother. In every farm in my community I see fathers rising up to their role as father, while still working hard as farmers. I see couples who work as teams, with both mother and father actively engaged in parenting and farming. It’s common to see a father bring his child to feed pigs, harvest olives, ride tractors, and sell at the farmers market. These children learn to be patient and to help on the farm, and, most importantly, they see their father and mother as equals.
While women still fight for equality in the workplace and in society, it is better to be a woman now than it ever was before. In the farming community, I see a revolutionary change: Women today can be both farmers and mothers.
Although this equality is long overdue and still in progress, I do want to thank Robert, and all the other farming fathers, for doing an incredible job raising their children, caring for their farm, and supporting their women partners. That long line of women farmers in my family tree would be so impressed at what it means to be a farming family today.