Women farmers are shaping the future of agriculture every day—planting, harvesting, innovating, and leading with resilience and care. As the United Nations celebrates the International Year of the Woman Farmer, we have an opportunity to both honor and learn from the women who play a vital role in feeding our communities. From managing farms and preserving natural resources to strengthening families and rural communities, women farmers drive progress across rural America.
For the next 12 months, we will be highlighting 12 women that are NY farmers, shining a light on the difference they make and the reason they do what they do.
Meet Liz Goblet-Schubert, Hessian Hill Farm
We are a 4th generation livestock production farm. I am the 3rd generation. We have raised sheep for 64 years, starting when my father, Jim, was a child. In 2013 we diversified into a direct-to-consumer market with beef, lamb, pork and chicken. Currently we sell all our meat directly through our farm store along with other local products like milk, ice cream, maple and coffee products. Along with meat, we also raise and sell registered Southdown sheep as well as registered Charolais and Shorthorn beef cattle. Our 5 kids are very active in the show ring with their sheep, pigs and beef cows. To allow more time on the farm, we also diversified into dog boarding, grooming and daycare. This not only created a steady income for our family but also opened our eyes to the passion we have for caring for the dogs in our community.
I can easily say I am a farmer because I never wanted to do anything else. My passion for agriculture goes beyond family tradition though. My goal as a kid was always to turn our hobby farm into a profitable business by selling our meat products directly to our community. Healthy clean meat is a very important part of the human diet, and I wanted to be a small part of that. The work my grandmother and my parents did gave my husband and I a solid foundation to make that dream a reality. Now, as an adult who has achieved the farm kid dream of farming full time, my goals have adjusted slightly. I still love feeding my community but as a mom, everything I build is a legacy for my children. I continue to expand our operation while teaching my children the importance of raising healthy animals, caring for our land and supporting our small community.
Farming is not about perfection, and it is not a competition. The glory of agriculture is there are a million ways to do it right. There is plenty of room for farmers from all backgrounds to be supportive of each other while being successful. Farming is about perseverance over perfection. Every day won’t come easily and success doesn’t happen overnight. Taking the time to learn from experts, being patient and growing from your mistakes is how we truly survive as farmers.
A huge part of our success as a family farm is the transparency and educational opportunities we have with our customers. Agriculture education has always been very important to me. In 2019 I created an online following on Instagram and Facebook sharing my life as a mother, wife, farmer and business owner. My family and I always say, “Our barn doors are always open” and encourage people to come visit our animals whether it be in person or virtually. Much like farming, educating my community about agriculture as well as sharing the good and bad of farm life has evolved from a simple hobby to a critical part of our farm success.
