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Winter
2017
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“I have a double chair role
and it’s been an amazing
experience,” she said. “I’ve
learned so much, met so
many great people, and I get
the chance to have an impact
in ag.”
Ammeter said her ability
to take on this work is partly
because she is not the
primary driver and equipment
person on the farm. “I have
more time for things than a
lot of the other male chairs
may have,” she said. “This has
worked in my favour and I’m
able to do things others might
not have the time for.”
Reflecting on the part
women play in the industry,
Ammeter said recognition
is an issue. “I’m not totally
convinced that there are
actually more women
working in ag today, or
if we’re just more willing
to acknowledge their
contributions,” she said.
She credits the strength
of her grandmother and the
example she set for her own
success in the industry. “She
taught school for about 40
years. I know that every penny
she made kept the farm
running,” Ammeter said. “She also baked pies for the threshing
crews before she le to teach in the morning and ensured the
parts runs were done.
“She wasn’t driving the tractor, but you cannot tell me she
wasn’t a valuable part of the farm,” she added. “I also knew
women growing up who milked the cows at the same time
their husbands were doing everything else. We just didn’t talk
about them as much then. I think there’s a current trend toward
recognizing what women are really doing.”
When asked about gender-related challenges in the
workplace, Ammeter said not once has she felt she was
treated differently because she is a woman. She said that in the
boardroom at APG, respect is earned through opinions and
ideas—no matter who they come from.
“The more diversity we can have on a board, the better,”
she said. “By this I mean male and female farmers, older and
younger farmers, and bigger and smaller-scale producers. An
ideal board uses the strengths of each person.”
Allison Ammeter believes
that life happens in seasons
that facilitate change in the
roles we play. The mother,
farmer, chair of Alberta
Pulse Growers (APG) and
wife of Michael Ammeter,
who recently wrapped up
his term as chair of Alberta
Barley, is quite comfortable
wearing many hats.
Alongside her husband,
Ammeter grows 2,000
acres of grains, pulses and
oilseeds southwest of Sylvan
Lake. Stepping up as third-
generation contributors to
the family farm, the Ammeters
have raised their family in the
homeMichael grew up in.
“I grew up on a farm and I
married into a farm,” she said.
“I’ve lived a more traditional
role. Part of this is that both
my husband and I were raised
in traditional families.”
Surrounded all her life by
women who were actively
involved on the farm, Ammeter
said it never occurred to her
that anyone should be limited
from any role.
She explained that her
roles have evolved according
to where she could best
contribute. “When we were first married, it was the 1980s, a
difficult economic time in farming,” she said. “My wage was
the best contribution I could make to the farm at that time. I
worked off the farm in Red Deer until we had children.”
For Ammeter, family has always been the top priority. This
meant her primary role was at home, raising the kids while they
were young. When their youngest obtained her driver’s licence,
Ammeter’s time freed up and she was able to put her energies
into working on the farm, assisting in numerous ways such as
driving the combine during harvest, being the “gofer” running
parts, and bookkeeping.
Once all her children became independent, she could also
take on commission work. Initially an adviser with APG, she
moved into the director role during her first year. At this time,
she was also involved as a representative for Grain Growers
of Canada (GGC) on behalf of APG, but she stepped down
from this role in order to step up as the Canadian chair for the
International Year of Pulses.
ALLISON AMMETER:
The seasons
of life
A FAMILY AFFAIR:
Allison Ammeter farms with her husband Mike
southwest of Sylvan Lake, where they grow grains, pulses and oilseeds.