Shelby Carson of Listowel, Ont., Brings 9-Month-Old Baby to Work at Family Dairy Farm Every Day
Shelby Carson, a third-generation dairy farmer from Listowel, Ont, understood that everything would change when she gave birth to her daughter nine months ago, but leaving the farm was never an option. At the age of 28, Carson, who manages David Carson Farm and Auction Services Ltd. alongside her partner Johnny Franken, her father, and her grandfather, stated, "I'm not an office person. Leaving the farm is just not in the cards for me." A recent viral social media post featured a photo of Carson's 9-month-old daughter, Audrey, peacefully sleeping in the car seat inside their John Deere tractor back in early October.
"That day, we spent the whole day outdoors," Carson said, who plowed an old, inactive grass field. SUMMER. "That field used to be a fertile one, and we tore it up. And indeed, I brought my daughter along," Audrey blinked for two or three hours on that day, she said. "She has always loved it since she was little. As soon as she gets on any device, she falls asleep," Carson informed. He also recalled taking Audrey outside when she was just six weeks old to spread manure. The latest population survey by Statistics Canada on the state of agriculture in Canada reveals that the number of women operating farms has increased since 2016. According to the data, in 2021, there were 79,795 women who considered themselves female farm operators, compared to 77,970 five years earlier. One example is Peggy Brekveld, the President of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, who manages a dairy farm near Thunder Bay. "Farmers are dedicated and determined. Farming mothers are no different," said Brekveld, a mother of five. She shared, "When my children were young, they would sit in strollers and watch us milk cows. Others would carry them on their backs in the garden at the market." As for my pet, she said that Brekveld's children learned to ride bikes in the alleys around the barn.
"Shelby is an amazing woman and works very hard," Carson's partner, Johnny Franken, said. "It's not easy for her to continue working and take Audrey with her, but she does it every day." Carson and Franken live about an 8-minute drive away from the farm, where her father still lives. Carson admits that juggling motherhood with work can be busy, but she enjoys it. "I feel like it's just what I have to do. I simply love it. It comes naturally." So what will Carson do when Audrey starts walking? "I'm actually really excited that she won't have to sit in the car seat anymore and can just sit on the buddy seat [of the tractor] without needing a car seat."
