Women in Agriculture Conference 2026

We had a brilliant day running the Farm Advisory Service Women in Agriculture conference at Murrayfield on 11th February. This year’s theme was “land, legacy and leadership” and we had some excellent speakers. Katie Brisbane opened the conference and spoke openly and honestly about the tragic death of her husband Alan in a farm accident, and how important it is to have a succession plan for your business. Kate Rowell, current QMS chair and farmer, gave a wonderfully entertaining talk about her life in leadership, from the early days of her career, right through to running her own farm with husband Ed, and leading a national organisation. We also heard from Jillian Kennedy, chair of SAYFC, about her time in Young Farmers and the opportunities that has opened up for her, both personally, and professionally. She encouraged us all, no matter what our age, to look for opportunities and say yes to all that come along. Our breakout sessions covered topics of succession, legacy and land, with Jenn Stewart from Johnston Carmichael, Gareth Allan from Azets, Emily Grant from Forrit Consultancy and David Brown from SAC Consulting.

Mary-Jane Lawrie, a senior agricultural consultant from SAC Consulting, organised the conference and said:

“We had a fantastic day at Murrayfield, and I was pleased with how it all came together. Katie’s speech was particularly impactful, she is a true inspiration, and I hope that everyone took something away from what she said. It was great to hear from Kate and Jillian too, and I hope that they have inspired some of our attendees to put themselves out of their comfort zones and put themselves forward for leadership roles. The breakout sessions were lively, with lots of good discussion and helpful take home messages. I want to say a big thank you to all the speakers and attendees for coming along and making the day such a success.”