Though Susan Judd was born and raised on the farm, there was a long period where she didn’t think farming was in the cards.
Though she grew up on a dairy farm always throwing in a helping hand, with an example given of feeding the calves every day even on Christmas before the presents were open, Susan didn’t think she would end up being a “farmer.”
Not only did she end up going down this career path, with the help of her significant other who also grew up on a farm, but she’s truly blossomed into a role model for the next generation of farmers.
Recently, she received the honour of being listed in the top 4 under 40 by the magazine Fruit and Vegetables.
She said the biggest thing she loves about farming is the changes she’s seen over the years and that the definition of a farmer goes far beyond someone standing in the field with a pitchfork, which many people envision.
Specifically, she noted the strawberry business, saying that a lot of stuff has remained the same over the past 100 years – still picking by hand and labour intensive – but advancements have also been made that can let them harvest strawberries for up to 5 months.
Previously, it would traditionally only be a 30-day window to harvest those strawberries.
Susan went on to suggest that young people looking for a career path should look into agriculture as this industry is constantly changing and innovating and needs more young people all the time.
The full interview is below.