Women in ag: Breaking the mould

Tracey Roan and her family farm in Dumfries and Galloway near Dalbeattie. As different generations work together team Roan have established a growing dairy business that has many different facets.

The family business includes two dairy farms which are located three miles apart and are stocked with pedigree Holsteins. The first farm is run by Tracey, her husband Steven along with young children, Andrew (8) and Lucy (6) at Boreland of Colvend. The second farm is run by Steven’s brother, Stuart, and sister-in-law, Aylett along with their children, Fergus (10) and Fraser (8) at Barnbarroch. Roan parents Kathleen and Derek are also very active within the business. The Roan families work separately within the business but share the labour and machinery.

Stuart, Aylett, Steven and Tracey established a traditional way of providing free-range milk to their customers. In 2015 Roan’s Dairy was established, processing a portion of milk produced at Barnbarroch delivering direct to around 1,200 doors and 80 restaurants, shops and cafés within Dumfries and Galloway.

“We each have our strengths within our business. The two families work together well and have a great deal of respect for each other,” Tracey said. “With regard to Roan’s Dairy – Stuart is more the accounting and figures of the operation, while Steven is animal-driven and deals with the milk quality and herd welfare. Aylett deals with HR and office administration and I deal with the branding, marketing and social media side of the business. We also all take our turn with some early morning milk deliveries when our drivers are on annual leave. Each of us brings something to the mix, pushing the business, and at times thinking differently and outside of the box.”

It was thinking outside the box that encouraged Tracey and sister-in-law Aylett to start up a milkshake venture – The Udder Bar. The two-woman team tours around the local agricultural shows, galas, private events and, more recently, music festivals selling their milkshakes.

“We absolutely love talking and chatting to our customers, and the Udder Bar is the perfect platform for us. It’s hard work but the blood, sweat and tears is worth it as we hear the positive feedback. It also helps Aylett and I contribute to the overall business model. I think as farmer’s wives, we are expected to do it all, help out on the farm, childcare, deal with the house… the list goes on. In doing this, our husbands have become more modern as they have to help out with the kids and house more because we are away at events.

“Our drive to push the business forward and show that we can do this helps with our identity within the business. I sometimes joke about Steven thinking I’m superwoman and sometimes I feel like I am, but it’s true – the expectations of women – the expectations of women in this industry is a tough one.

“We can sometimes become cheap labour on the family farm. Sometimes the biggest threat to the family farm is the family themselves. It’s important that the team partnership are all singing off the same hymn sheet.”

NFUS group

In a lot of ways that’s why Tracey approached NFUS to discuss starting up a new group – The Dumfries and Galloway Dairy Women Network. The premise of it is a simple one: providing support to women within the industry and to act as a platform for knowledge and social engagement.

“We are hoping to provide a network for women such as wives, dairy women, vets, feed nutritionists, book keepers and AI technicians – any women connected to dairy farming. Providing different talks, practical training, farm visits, days out, and looking at important issues such as mental health and well-being and hot topics like succession. The group will grow naturally and different member’s ideas will help establish a programme. Old ways don’t open new doors. You have to strike a balance and do what makes you happy and as far as the social network goes… gin helps!”