Carla Rossato is leading her family farm into the future with courage and foresight.

“I’ve always loved farming.” It’s a statement that describes Carla Rossato’s life in just a few words. Even as a little girl, her parents’ farm was the place she felt most contented. During her school years, Carla used every spare minute to be out in the field — riding a horse among cattle and cows, driving a tractor as young as age seven, sitting behind the wheel of the farm’s pickup truck as a teenager to run errands: That was her childhood and youth.

And nothing about any of that has changed so far. Carla’s veterinary-medicine degree reflects her passion for animals, but the university education didn’t stop her from wanting to follow in her parents’ occupational footsteps: “I’ve always tried to emulate my father,” Carla says. Her family’s agricultural tradition stretches back more than half a century. Her father, José Roberto, and her mother, Deusa, bought their first plot of land in the mid-70s. Today the Rossatos work with four other family members and twelve employees to cultivate many hectares of land in several locations. The Marambaia farm has been growing soybeans and corn since 2012. The operation also maintains an environmental reserve with 268 hectares of land. The farms Bom Jesus and São José run a livestock breeding operation and grow soybeans as well as corn. The successful development of the Rossato family’s farming operations can also be attributed to the important role agriculture plays in the Brazilian economy: The agricultural industry employs nine percent of the South American country’s population and currently accounts for round about 25 percent of Brazil’s GDP. One of the largest producers of soybeans, sugar cane, corn, coffee, poultry and beef on the planet, Brazil supplies a major share of the world’s food.

Hard work and rich learnin

Carla has been instrumental in evolving her family’s farming operations since the early 2000s when she officially joined the business after completing her university studies. When she started, Carla didn’t enjoy a daughter bonus: She received a negotiated salary, no special privileges, and the same standard workday like all the other farm employees. “I’ve worked hard, and my father has treated me like the other workers,” Carla says. At the same time, she also felt the trust her parents extended to her from the start; they gave her the space and freedom to develop. Carla assumed management of the farm more than twelve years ago, saying this about the step: “Agreeing to be part of the family succession was my decision. I didn’t see it as an obligation. My father is still involved. He’s the one still by my side to this day.” The strong results she has achieved attest to the trust her parents have extended to her: “Over the years, Carla has continued the work we started and she has perfected it,” her parents proudly say, acknowledging their daughter’s hard work.

Carla considers healthy soil to be the foundation of a successful harvest, which is why she analyzes the farming operations’ soils throughout the year. “There’s no point in using the best fertilizer if the soil isn’t balanced enough to absorb and retain the nutrients from the fertilizer,” says Carla, who considers the advancements made in technology and digitalization to be the greatest transformations in agriculture over the past few years. Progress can improve a great deal, but even the best technology is of little use if the soil remains imbalanced, she points out.

A role model for other women

Carla’s far-sighted approach and continuous drive to innovate have earned her a reputation as an expert — a reputation that extends beyond the borders of Paraná. In 2022, the trailblazing farmer won the “Producer 4.0” award at AgroBIT Brasil. “I find innovation and technology exciting,” she says. “My goal is to use a digital approach to monitor and sustainably boost production on our property — and to do this with lower costs and the correct application of inputs. All our machines are fully networked today.” Carla also received the 2019 Women of Agro Award for her capable management work, saying about it: “This award has demonstrated to me all that I’ve accomplished. It’s important to show that everything we do does make a difference.” Carla also attributes her success to the support she’s received from her parents: “This isn’t for women” has never been a statement uttered by her father. “On the contrary, he’s always taken me with him and made a point of teaching me.” She’s now become a role model for other female farm operators, and young female farmers come to her for advice and support. “I always try to help,” says Carla, who sees the increasing number of women joining the agricultural industry in Brazil in a thoroughly positive light: “Agribusiness has taken a huge leap in terms of technology, innovation and sustainability, especially in my region, thanks to dedicated women,” she states, adding: “This is because women aren’t afraid to make mistakes.”