Staff Update

If you’re not at the table, you’re serving the meal. I realize that is not the common quote, however, in agriculture it often seems to be the case.

Growing up on my grandparents’ dairy farm, my grandma was fierce and a force to be reckoned with. She would often find ways to fix something, while my grandpa and uncle would still be debating how to fix it. Then she would say, “quit your (expletive) - I fixed it, now let’s get something else done.”

Change is happening in the ag industry. It is no longer the good ol’ boy network it used to be. More and more women are rising to leadership roles and taking over family farms. Women in the industry are making important strategic decisions to continue their family legacies and grow their farms and businesses.

Recently on a trip through Iowa, I saw, for the first time, a barn with a sign that read 'Smith Farms and Daughter'. While seeing 'Smith Farms and Sons' on the side of the barn is common, I was glad to see daughters are also making it onto the side of the barn. It's important to recognize the contributions of hardworking women on the farm who deserve to be on the side of the barn. Throughout history, women have played a critical role on farms. The are often working behind the scenes, often without thanks or pay, to help keep their farms running.

It's also important to recognize the many examples of improvements that have been made. Our industry continues to show positive examples of women in leadership. One example is the American Soybean Association Corteva Agriscience Young Leader program. Historically, it was mostly couples and men who participated in the training. This year during their recognition at Commodity Classic, however, I was excited to see four individual women completing the program. Another great example is the current chair of the United Soybean Board - Meagan Kaiser, a soybean farmer from Missouri.

At the state level, the Michigan Soybean Committee and Michigan Soybean Association have had many amazing women leaders serving on their boards. The most recent past chair of MSC and current chair of MSA are excellent examples of strong female leaders. Their leadership and service has helped to guide our organizations and drive successful projects and programs.

As the ag industry continues to advance, we must encourage our daughters, granddaughters and nieces to be involved in agriculture and also recognize the role women have played in the advancement of the family business over the years. Whether she is working on the farm, off the farm, or oftentimes both, without women in ag we would not be able to move forward. As industry leaders we need to encourage the advancement of women in agriculture by providing access to leadership programs, resources and opportunities for involvement.

As gender roles evolve, perhaps men and women should be equally serving and sitting at the table.

Looking forward to the bright future of ag,

Kathy Maurer, Financial Director kmaurer@michigansoybean.org