24 min
The Empowering Women Behind The Berry Best Blueberries With Carley Parsley, Director Of Food Safety At Brookside Farms The Produce Moms Podcast
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- Health & Fitness
“We fight through the growing pains because that’s what we love to do. We see it as failure not being an option because this is our life. It’s truly empowering.”
Carley Parsley (5:57-6:12)
Carley Parsley’s family are fifth generation farmers and third generation blueberry growers at Brookside Farms (they’ve been growing since the early 50s). Even though Carley is the Direct of Food Safety, being a part of a family owned business means you do a little bit of everything! Growing up helping out on a farm, Carley has always known this is where she belonged and she’s seen the industry go from male-dominated to one that’s welcoming and empowering of women across the entire supply chain.
Spending her summers working on her family’s farm side-by-side her dad, uncle and mom sparked a passion inside Carley that made her feel innately like that’s where she was meant to be. She interned with Natureripe Farms before graduating with a marketing and management degree in hopes it would benefit the farm. Even as a young girl involved in 4H, Carley always felt empowered by her supervisors and family with access to the tools and encouragement she needed to succeed, while growing and learning along the way.
So much has changed for Carley along her career in the blueberry industry. For example, 12 years ago, food safety used to be an afterthought whereas today it’s evolved into a full time job! And up until a few years ago, it’d be rare to see a woman attending a blueberry growers’ conference. Now? Let’s just say the last conference Carley went to only had one man that attended! Thanks to a push by leadership and a desire by women to get more involved, there are more and more job opportunities for women in the blueberry industry, even at the farm level.
“[My family] gave us the tools that we needed and the encouragement until we figured it out. We did whatever it took to get the job done.” Carley Parsley (5:35-5:45)
Carley sees a deep meaning to Women’s History Month, especially when applying it to agriculture. Women have been side-by-side male farmers and growers doing their role for centuries. During that time, women were the silent voices in farming operations and behind the scenes. Their day-to-day role was often taken for granted and now we get to honor these women!
“My grandpa was the face of our farms for a long time, and then it was my dad, and then my uncle. Now that roles and changing opportunities for women are changing, they’re taking the step to take advantage of opportunities to have a voice and say in where the industry is headed.” Carley Parsley (13:57-14:19)
The role women play in food in agriculture goes back centuries and has alway been important, but now today we can empower women even more with the unique opportunities available to be a part of the changes we’d like to see in our industry. Carley’s mom started out in the marketing office for Michigan Blueberry Growers, a co-op, and she worked with just a few other women in the accounting side of the business, but it was predominantly males. It’s changed significantly now, and Carley considers her mom a trailblazer as a woman leading the industry.
“I hope opportunities will continue to be available to women as time continues to progress and that they’ll be able to play vital roles.” Carley Parsley (19:42-19:55)
Who is Carley’s role model? Her mom. Carley says, “She’s the example of sacrifice and the sacrifice it’s taken to get our farm. She’s worked two jobs for most of our farm’s growing years just to support my dad and my uncle. She sacrifices her time and she’s never let me have the thought that there’s something I can’t do. She’s always empowered me to do whatever I set my mind to.”
Her grandma, who passed away last year, is also a role model of Carley’s and a woman who was a part of the change we’ve seen in the blueberry industry. H
“We fight through the growing pains because that’s what we love to do. We see it as failure not being an option because this is our life. It’s truly empowering.”
Carley Parsley (5:57-6:12)
Carley Parsley’s family are fifth generation farmers and third generation blueberry growers at Brookside Farms (they’ve been growing since the early 50s). Even though Carley is the Direct of Food Safety, being a part of a family owned business means you do a little bit of everything! Growing up helping out on a farm, Carley has always known this is where she belonged and she’s seen the industry go from male-dominated to one that’s welcoming and empowering of women across the entire supply chain.
Spending her summers working on her family’s farm side-by-side her dad, uncle and mom sparked a passion inside Carley that made her feel innately like that’s where she was meant to be. She interned with Natureripe Farms before graduating with a marketing and management degree in hopes it would benefit the farm. Even as a young girl involved in 4H, Carley always felt empowered by her supervisors and family with access to the tools and encouragement she needed to succeed, while growing and learning along the way.
So much has changed for Carley along her career in the blueberry industry. For example, 12 years ago, food safety used to be an afterthought whereas today it’s evolved into a full time job! And up until a few years ago, it’d be rare to see a woman attending a blueberry growers’ conference. Now? Let’s just say the last conference Carley went to only had one man that attended! Thanks to a push by leadership and a desire by women to get more involved, there are more and more job opportunities for women in the blueberry industry, even at the farm level.
“[My family] gave us the tools that we needed and the encouragement until we figured it out. We did whatever it took to get the job done.” Carley Parsley (5:35-5:45)
Carley sees a deep meaning to Women’s History Month, especially when applying it to agriculture. Women have been side-by-side male farmers and growers doing their role for centuries. During that time, women were the silent voices in farming operations and behind the scenes. Their day-to-day role was often taken for granted and now we get to honor these women!
“My grandpa was the face of our farms for a long time, and then it was my dad, and then my uncle. Now that roles and changing opportunities for women are changing, they’re taking the step to take advantage of opportunities to have a voice and say in where the industry is headed.” Carley Parsley (13:57-14:19)
The role women play in food in agriculture goes back centuries and has alway been important, but now today we can empower women even more with the unique opportunities available to be a part of the changes we’d like to see in our industry. Carley’s mom started out in the marketing office for Michigan Blueberry Growers, a co-op, and she worked with just a few other women in the accounting side of the business, but it was predominantly males. It’s changed significantly now, and Carley considers her mom a trailblazer as a woman leading the industry.
“I hope opportunities will continue to be available to women as time continues to progress and that they’ll be able to play vital roles.” Carley Parsley (19:42-19:55)
Who is Carley’s role model? Her mom. Carley says, “She’s the example of sacrifice and the sacrifice it’s taken to get our farm. She’s worked two jobs for most of our farm’s growing years just to support my dad and my uncle. She sacrifices her time and she’s never let me have the thought that there’s something I can’t do. She’s always empowered me to do whatever I set my mind to.”
Her grandma, who passed away last year, is also a role model of Carley’s and a woman who was a part of the change we’ve seen in the blueberry industry. H
24 min