Agriculture not lacking for leadership opportunities

By LAURA COLE The Land Staff Writer

The 2023 Women’s Agricultural Leadership Conference was held on April 12 at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska, Minn. This year marked 25 years since Robin Kinney and Doris Mold first formed a committee to promote women’s leadership and involvement in agriculture. At that time, according to the Census of Agriculture, the percentage of women as primary farmers was 8.6 percent. Now, it’s over 30 percent.

The first session of the day, entitled “Making Our Future Sterling,” highlighted experiences from four women in agriculture and was a motivating kick-off to the day. Christine Leonard, dairy farmer and owner of her cheese business, The Grater Good LLC, credited the generations of women who have opened doors for others to follow. She discussed that the question is no longer can women do this job, but rather what job do we, as women, want to do. Leonard emphasized the importance of helping those who show interest in ag, but may not have the background or a starting point

Janelle Skibicki, Senior Vice President of Human Resources for AgCountry Farm Credit Services, spoke of her early days when she didn’t have as much work experience as some of her male counterparts. She initially questioned what she could add, but reasoned “I have a voice.” With the demeanor that can rally a room, she firmly stated, “We are at the table.”

Skibicki also shared a past situation involving tra- ditional stereotypes. During a work event among men, she was singled out to cut the cake to be served. With a clear-cut voice, she stated to the attendees at the conference, “We don’t cut the cake.”

Andrea Vaubel currently serves as Deputy Commissioner with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, and was also part of the panel. She discussed correcting the idea some may have that “I didn’t grow up on a farm; agriculture’s not open to me.” Vaubel emphasized the value of bringing in a more inclusive set of women, as well as the importance of lifting our voices. With a laugh she let the audience know she was going to share some lyrics from Taylor Swift, and they proved to be impactful.

“Never be so kind, you forget to be clever. Never be so clever, you forget to be kind...Never be so polite, you forget your power. Never wield such power, you forget to be polite.”

Rounding out the panel was Madilyn Smith, a current college undergrad at the University of Minnesota. The importance of diversifying is one farmers hear often. Smith discussed the value in “diversifying ourselves.” She shared her thoughts on how different settings can aid us in having different thoughts, and that our identity isn’t just one thing. “We’re all agriculturists, but what else are we?” she asked.

After this session and again in the afternoon, attendees could choose from a number of offerings covering a variety of topics such as the 2023 Farm Bill, Continuous Improvement in Agriculture, Ag and Fertilizer Market Updates, and Podcasting. Later, there were also mini sessions held to give information about an assortment of subjects including Annie’s Project, Crop Insurance, Farmer Veteran Coalition of Minnesota, Dairy Cattle Genetics, and Minnesota 4-H.

At least two FFA advisors in attendance brought along some of their middle school and high school students to experience the event. With the rest of the attendees, the students were dispersed throughout the hall, and also participated in the breakout sessions, roundtable discussion, and networking activities.

The conference also included a presentation for the recipients of the 21st Agricultural Mentoring Awards, and a second panel was held to discuss the power of mentorship. The panelists were Emily Krekelberg, Sheryl Meshke, Juanita Reed-Boniface, and was moderated by Doris Mold. Mold began by emphasizing that mentoring doesn’t have to do with the differ-

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