My First Women in Agriculture Breakfast at the Royal Highland Show

The Royal Highland Show has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Growing up, it was one of those fixed points in the calendar – the kind of event that feels bigger every time you go back. Over the years, it sparked a genuine curiosity in food, farming, and the industry behind what ends up on our plates. That curiosity is a big part of what led me to apply for the MDS Graduate Scheme.

Last week, I returned to Ingliston, and on this occasion I was fortunate enough to secure a ticket to the Women in Agriculture Scotland Breakfast. I was so inspired by the experience that I have since signed up to become a member!

The breakfast took place on the Thursday morning of the show and brought together women from every corner of the agricultural sector – farmers, researchers, policymakers, business owners and industry professionals – all in one room before 8:30am. As a young person at the start of my career in agriculture, attending events like these matters more than I can put into words. It’s easy, sometimes, to look around an industry that has historically been male-dominated and wonder where you fit. Walking into a room full of women who are leading farms, driving research, shaping policy, and building businesses answered that question pretty quickly.

The conversations that morning were some of the most interesting I’ve had and honestly helped shape the discussions I went on to have walking around the show. All the speakers were brilliant, but I found Lauren Houston particularly fascinating – her work campaigning for better, locally sourced food in Scottish schools is exactly the kind of joined up thinking between farming and the wider food system that I find so inspiring. But what I took away most was what happened in between – sitting with women who have spent years in this industry, listening to their stories and their advice for someone just starting out like myself.

Agriculture is a big industry, but it’s a remarkably connected community and events like this are where those connections start. I came away with new perspectives, new contacts, and a renewed sense of why events like this matter.