#FarmHerOntario: Susan Gowan

Did you know that 2026 is the International Year of the Woman Farmer? Join us throughout the year as we spotlight our #FarmHerOntario farmers to showcase the important role women grain farmers play in our food system. Let’s look at women in agronomy this month, as we talk to Susan Gowan, who farms grains as well as helping others in their fields.

My husband Brian and I live on a farm outside of Jarvis with our 3 daughters. We farm corn, soybeans, wheat, hay, and also have a few beef cattle. We both come from a farm background as well as having off-farm jobs in the agriculture sector. I am an independent agronomist working locally with farmers to help produce the highest quality and most profitable crop possible.

We live and farm on my husband’s family farm. Having our own farm helps give me an area to try products firsthand and have personal expertise to draw on. I understand how different factors, such as input costs (e.g. pesticides, fertilizers, fuel, seed costs) and weather affect the bottom line. On our own farm, I primarily handle the agronomic details while Brian focuses on the marketing (watching crop prices and choosing when to sell grain). We have an excellent team of custom operators (farmers who work on other people’s farms) who we rely on to complete the majority of our field work.

I truly enjoy that every year we learn a little more to help make better educated decisions. I have been consulting for twenty years now, and no two years are the same, but we take what we learn from year to year to make the best decision we can. I also enjoy being outside every day and getting to see firsthand how the crop is progressing. Getting to chat and discuss ideas with farmers is the highlight of my day. There is so much optimism in farming and that is contagious.