Women in leadership positions in agriculture are the exception. Jessica Krebbing proves otherwise.
Women in leadership roles in agriculture are still the exception rather than the rule. But examples like Jessica Krebbing show that the role of women on farms is gradually changing.
The United Nations has declared 2026 the “International Year of the Woman Farmer” – a fitting occasion to visit a farm that will soon be run by a woman. Jessica Krebbing is taking over the reins of Overdickshof in Hamminkeln, North Rhine-Westphalia, from her father. The visit to the farm reveals that subtle differences only become apparent on closer inspection. For example, when it comes to juggling farm management with raising children.
Greeted by the two hunting dogs, we meet the youngest members of the Krebbing family: Lias, who is already a true farm pro at just under three years old, and ten-month-old Ellie, who is always exploring. Jessica decided early on that farming would be her chosen career path. Feeding, milking and inseminating cows, and even driving the silage trailer are all tasks she has done since she was a child.
Chatting with Jessica out in the pasture, we notice a big difference from previous visits to the farm. Not only does she have to manage a herd of 180 cows, but she’s also constantly on the go as a mother. Her husband Stephan, her parents, and her grandmother – all of whom live on the farm – are a superb support to her, of course. But Jessica is the one in charge of the organization. That starts with efficient time management. Her husband handles the morning feeding before driving off to his own family farm, where he keeps 80 cows together with his parents. Jessica drops Lias off at daycare and then gets back to work on the farm. On weekends and public holidays, the children tag along with the day-to-day work. Lias now carries a GPS tracker in his pocket, giving him the freedom to roam around the sprawling grounds safely.
Over the past few years, the Krebbing dairy herd has changed. Or, as Jessica would put it, it has become more colorful. In addition to Brown Swiss, black-and-white and red-and-white Holstein Friesians, the pastures are now home to Jersey and Witrik cows too. Alongside these changes to the herd composition, Jessica continues to follow her father’s philosophy: “Whenever a cow is ill or injured, the question we always ask is: what do we need to do to keep her in the herd? Never: ‘Why should we send her to the slaughterhouse?’” Ultimately, this means that the herd at Overdickshof is older than average. Cows aged ten years and older are not at all uncommon.
Many of the investments made in recent years are now paying off as the farm transitions to the next generation. The family recognized early on that Husbandry System Level 3, an open-air barn, and a CO2e reduction program were the way forward and implemented them accordingly. The decision to invest in feed pusher robots and two milking robots also points firmly toward the future. “We milk our high-yield cows using the two robots, and the rest of the herd conventionally in the milking parlor,” explained Jessica Krebbing. “It’s an ideal solution for us, as it lets us strike the right balance between milk yield, herd management, and workload.”
Strong women are clearly nothing new in this family. Grandma Leni, now in her nineties, still helps out around the house and occasionally looks after the little ones. And when things get a bit too noisy, she can simply switch off her hearing aids. Jessica’s mother Christa has always viewed herself as an equal partner with her husband Wilhelm in running the farm. And Jessica herself was fortunate enough to find a husband who would take her surname, so the farm can continue to carry the Krebbing name into the next generation. Leadership and powers of persuasion clearly run in the family at Overdickshof.
We leave the Overdickshof with the impression that much of what is sstill being debated or considered out of the ordinary elsewhere is simply routine here. A family that farms and keeps dairy cattle with genuine joy and passion. A family in which the daughter is a natural-born farmer – and the one leading the farm into the future. As a manager, a wife, a mother and part of a high-achieving family.
Women in leadership positions in agriculture are the exception. Jessica Krebbing proves otherwise.
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