Women in Agriculture: Recent Episodes
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This video features portraits and statements from the exhibition, “Legacy of Leadership: Faces of Nebraska Women in Agriculture." It aims to highlight the vital role of women in Nebraska’s agricultural landscape with a collection of over 70 portraits captured at the 2024 Nebraska Women in Agriculture Conference by renowned photographer John Noltner. Each portrait is accompanied by the subject’s short answer to the question, “what has called you to this work?."
Lazy B by Sandra Day O'Connor“Lazy B” is the story of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s family and early life on their ranch in Arizona. The book colorfully illustrates stories of everyday life on the ranch and the characters that filled it. O’Connor details lessons learned and how she came to love the land and the people.The book club discussion is be led by western rancher Robbie LeValley.
“The Turnaround,” by David Pratt, is the story of a ranch family struggling to make their ranching operation financially sustainable. The family is introduced to Ranching for Profit’s principles by a neighbor and begin a journey towards a more stable future.The book provides in-depth financial analysis tools relevant to ranching and agriculture in narrative form.The book club discussion was led by author David Pratt, who has spent more than three decades working with ranchers to improve the success and sustainability of their businesses. He began teaching the Ranching for Profit School in the 1990s and has worked with thousands of ranchers over his career.
The Nebraska Women in Agriculture program selected “Feeling Good Together: The Secret to Making Troubled Relationships Work,” by David D. Burns, M.D., as the selection for its spring 2022 book club.
This virtual discussion was held at 6 p.m. Central time on May 26 with Ashely Machado, a life coach and mental health professional who specializes in working with agricultural professionals and families.
In “Feeling Good Together,” Burns discusses Cognitive Interpersonal Therapy (CIT) as a radically different method for developing more loving and satisfying relationships with the people we care about, even if they may be hard to get along with. Based on 25 years of clinical experience and new research involving more than 1,000 individuals, the book is filled with examples of tools like the Relationship Satisfaction Test, the Blame Cost-Benefit Analysis, Five Secrets of Effective Communication and more.
Machado grew up in the dairy industry and now lives in California with her husband, a calf rancher and almond farmer. With a bachelor’s degree in human development and a master’s in social work, with an emphasis in clinical mental health, she is rethinking the way we support mental health in the ag industry. She applies 15 years of experience to help ag families and businesses break down big ideas and deep feelings into simple, actionable strategies, and add the necessary mental health tools to operate and live life fully.
Kaylinda DeTurk is a busy mom of four (all under six), an agriculture wife, and a multi-faceted entrepreneur from Overton, Neb.
In addition to a photography business and chasing around a whole lot of kids, DeTurk and her husband, Jarod, Ag-Q Connect, LLC.
Ag-Q is a simple platform that connects producers with local, independent agronomists to provide a one-time, one-issue recommendation without any long-term contracts or commitments. Typically, an agronomy solutions program comes with a minimum of a one-year contract and commitment. Our system was born out of a hole we identified in the agronomy industry — simple, cost-effective agronomy knowledge and help.
Ag-Q involves two parts: a producer who has a question or issue in their field but doesn’t need an agronomist all the time; and a local (to them), independent agronomist who can help answer their question or solve their problem. Our connection-based platform unites knowledge the agronomist has to the question or issue that the producer is struggling with. This system benefits both producers who may only have one question (although they can submit multiple questions individually) and independent agronomists who have signed up to supplement their income or remain in the agriculture industry after retirement.
Their stated goal with Ag-Q is simple: to support agriculture from all sides and help make the industry better for everyone.
“Open for Business: A Nebraska Women in Agriculture Agripreneurship Series” is a monthly webcast series that highlights the entrepreneurial spirit of women in agribusiness from across the state, offering creative insights and the stories behind what it takes to build a business.
“Open for Business: A Nebraska Women in Agriculture Agripreneurship Series” is a monthly webcast series that highlights the entrepreneurial spirit of women in agribusiness from across the state, offering creative insights and the stories behind what it takes to build a business.
This episode is presented in collaboration with the Nebraska Extension Digital Agriculture team's FarmBits podcast.
Peggy Meyer, of Superior, Neb., is a farmer's wife, mother to six, mental health therapist, and co-founder of Field Pocket, a harvest solution software.
In the fall of 2020, Meyer was sitting at her kitchen table, buried in scale tickets and settlement sheets, trying to figure out if they had been paid for all of the grain they had just harvested. Frustrated, she sat down and typed out all the things a software would need to do.
Those included tracking grain from the field to the elevator; manage, organize and link related paperwork; and easily produce reports showing how many bushels, along with the dollar amount income, per field.
Last year, Meyer began using Field Pocket and now wants other farm families to have the same peace of mind that they have been paid for all of their hard work, so they can pass on to future generations the most rewarding job — feeding the world.
Nebraska Extension’s Women in Agriculture program selected ‘A History of Nebraska Agriculture: A Life Worth Living,” by Jody L. Lamp and Melody Dobson, as the book for its winter 2021-2022 book club and hosted a live chat with the authors on March 22, 2022.
Published in 2017 by Arcadia Publishing and The History Press, “A History of Nebraska Agriculture: A Life Worth Living,” celebrates the state’s forgotten and untold agricultural history, highlighting more than a century and a half of agriculture industry, inventions and innovations in the Cornhusker state. The book tells the story of how Nebraska, once known as the “Great American Desert,” has seen farmers, ranchers and agribusiness leaders nurture and grow the plains and native grasslands that have helped the state become a domestic leader in producing food, feed and fuel.
Authors Lamp and Dobson co-founded the American Doorstep Project, which collects and shares stories that promote historical places, spaces and events that have shaped the U.S. over the past hundreds of years. Lamp is a native of Scotts Bluff County and worked as an agricultural reporter and photographer before opening her own public relations and marketing business in 2009. Dobson is a third-generation Montana native who serves as a national signature event coordinator and a member of the Pompeys Pillar Historical Association board of directors.
Nebraska Women in Agriculture will continue to host the book club every quarter. Featured books will cover a variety of topics, such as inspirational, grain marketing, farm finance, estate planning and more.
Presented in collaboration with the Nebraska Extension Digital Agriculture team's FarmBits podcast.
Julie Bushell is the President of Paige Wireless and Director of Paige Precision Agriculture. She is an experienced, results-driven leader and visionary designing and implementing connectivity solutions to solve rural America’s large connectivity gap. Passionate about empowering and shaping the sustainable industries of the future through technological advanced in IoT, Broadband, Biosecurity, Food Safety and Precision Agriculture.
Bushell's career has been laser-focused on rural economic development since joining Paige in 2004 and becoming partner in 2013. Her passion for our country’s producers and their ability to compete on a global scale drives her business, from products and services to emerging technology and advocacy.
In March 2019, Bushell spear-headed the creation of Paige Wireless, a new innovative arm of Paige Electric. Paige Wireless was born from Bushell’s dedication to continuous improvement, and her passion to connect the under-served. She believes measurable societal advancements are born in rural America.
Beyond her work at Paige, Bushell is involved in the Irrigation Association where she serves on the Board of Directors. She has also served as Chair of the Government Affairs Committee from 2017-2019 and Vice-Chair from 2015-2017. Her work has spanned multiple technology innovation initiatives and successfully advocating for the connectivity to support them in the 2018 Farm Bill. Julie also serves as chair for the "Encouraging Adoption of Precision Agriculture" working group for the FCC's Precision Ag Connectivity Task Force, as well as sits on the Task Force. Julie is also Issue Lead for Telecommunications for American Agri-Women.
Presented in collaboration with the Nebraska Extension Digital Agriculture team's FarmBits podcast.
Jordyn Bader is a co-founder and the Director of Industry Partnerships at Marble Technologies. Marble is developing intelligent automation for the meat processing industry to address the industry’s greatest pain point: chronic labor shortages. Marble brings together diverse domain experts, including meat scientists, software engineers, and roboticists, to build impactful and customer-focused solutions.
Jordyn has spent her career in Ag Technology and uses her background in agriculture to bring the voice and perspective of the customer to inform product development.
In her role at Marble, Jordyn builds relationships with industry stakeholders to uncover pain points and opportunities for advanced technology to alleviate challenges facing the food supply chain. She loves the product development space and facilitating the intersection of technologists & Agricultural subject-matter-experts.
Raised in North-Central Nebraska, Jordyn went on to earn her B.S. and M.S. in Agricultural Economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is proud to have been a member of the inaugural class of the Engler Entrepreneurship Program and now serves on the Engler Advisory Board.
Jordyn and her husband, John, live in Lexington, KY where they are raising their two young daughters. She is always up for a good cup of coffee and connecting with and learning from fellow women and mothers in entrepreneurship and Agriculture.
Kara Sousek is a fifth generation farmer from Prague, NE. She studied Horticulture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and minored in the Engler Entrepreneurship Program. While she grew up surrounded by corn, beans, cows, and pigs on the family farm, she felt drawn to diversified agriculture. She started working for Oak Creek Vineyard early in her college career, and became manager soon after graduating. The same year after graduating, she planted her own first acre of grape vines on the family farm by Prague. For the past few years, she has leased Oak Creek Vineyard from her former boss after he retired, and is in the process of purchasing the vineyard. Through those years, she has held several day jobs related to her horticulture degree, and currently is the Production Manager at Great Plains Nursery in Weston. She plans on transitioning to running the vineyard full time in the near future, but currently manages the vineyards with her brother-in-law in addition to their day jobs.
Kara is passionate about the Nebraska Wine industry. Her mission is to provide the quality and quantity of grapes that Nebraska wineries need to produce exceptional wines and to grow their businesses.
It Doesn't Have to be Grandpa's Crop Share Agreement with Allan Vyhnalek, UNL Extension Educator.
The workshop was presented as part of Nebraska Women in Agriculture's Love of the Land Conference on Dec. 9, 2021.
Grazing Land Leases with Erin Laborie, UNL Beef Systems Extension Educator.
The workshop was presented as part of Nebraska Women in Agriculture's Love of the Land conference on Dec. 9, 2021.
Land vs. Legacy: It's More Than Dirt, with Kathy McHenry, LPGSD Executive Director.
The closing keynote was presented as part of Nebraska Women in Agriculture's Love of the Land conference on Dec. 9, 2021.
Updates & Insight into Current Livestock Insurance Programs with Jay Parsons, UNL Professor, Farm & Ranch Management Specialist.
The workshop was presented as part of Nebraska Women in Agriculture's Love of the Land conference on Dec. 9, 2021.
For Ag Land and Relationships, It's All About Communications, with Allan Vyhnalek, extension educator, UNL.
The keynote was presented as part of Nebraska Women in Agriculture's Love of the Land conference on Dec. 9, 2021.
Managing Crop Insurance with Cory Walters, UNL Associate Professor.
The workshop was presented as part of Nebraska Women in Agriculture's Love of the Land Conference on Dec. 9, 2021.
Profits & Risk: Cropland Rental Rates & Flex Leases for 2022 with Jim Jansen, UNL Agricultural Economist.
The workshop was presented as part of Nebraska Women in Agriculture's Love of the Land Conference on Dec. 9, 2021.
No one ever plans on being hit by a drunk driver, being in unbearable physical and emotional pain, nor scheduling the necessary four years of recovery into an already super-busy family life.
Now living with long-term disabling injuries, Carey has become an expert at breaking through limitations. Join Carey as she shares her journey of self-growth through resilience, determination, and the fine art of attitude adjustment.
Carey Portell is a survivor and a thriver, but most importantly Carey is a mom, wife, neighbor, and friend. She and her husband oversee a farm in mid-Missouri where she balances caring for her family while corralling cattle and horses.
Kelsey grew up on a small farm in Nebraska, near the Swedish town of Stromsburg. She began sewing for her dolls at the age of six, and was ecstatic to receive an old-fashioned treadle sewing machine for Christmas at the age of eight. She also learned to knit (incorrectly) that year, began quilting at the age of nine, crocheting at age ten, sewing clothing at age twelve, and knitting (correctly, in the Scandinavian style) at age thirteen. She and her mother bought their first Icelandic sheep and spinning wheel when she was 15, and a loom shortly after.
Since then, Kelsey has been spinning and weaving as a hobby and business, sometimes in the traditional Scandinavian way, sometimes in fun, new, and modern ways. About 4 years ago, she began the process of opening her own wool mill, The Fiber Mill, in downtown Stromsburg. After three years of planning and research, The Fiber Mill finally opened September of 2020. The Fiber Mill handles wool processing from all over the United States, turning wool and other fibers into yarn, roving and felt. Kelsey lives in Stromsburg with her husband, Philip, and son Hans.
Carrie Duffy lives and offices in Yutan, Nebraska in Saunders County where she raised her three children. Her career began in 1982 with a full-service Omaha real estate and development company where she focused on commercial real estate with an emphasis on land sales and office leasing. In 2008 some life changing events prompted her to evaluate her pursuits. It became clear that Carrie was committed to doing business with the people that she lived with in a more rural environment. She left her position of 19 years with CBRE-MEGA, a commercial real estate company, to gain valuable experience as an associate broker and vice president with an established farm sales and management firm. A series of successes provided the capital and confidence to form Black Dirt Land Sales in 2013. Whether she is meeting at a landowner’s kitchen table or the corporate boardroom table, Carrie’s experience in commercial real estate combined with her love of the rural way of life makes her uniquely qualified. Carrie is pleased to call many of our clients, her friends.
Hannah Klitz is the owner of Oak Barn Beef. Oak Barn Beef ships Premium, Nebraska beef directly to consumers across the United States. Utilizing cattle DNA testing and dry-aging, the beef is said to be some of the best you'll ever try! Hannah started the business as a sophomore in college and now is the sole owner/operator of the business with her husband, Eric. She graduated from UNL in May 2020 with a degree in Animal Science and minors in the Nebraska Beef Industry Scholars and the Engler Entrepreneurship Program. Hannah also works full-time as the Communications Coordinator at The Combine, a program by Invest Nebraska which supports Nebraska Agricultural Technology Startups.
Katie Jantzen founded West End Farm in 2017 on part of her family's farm near Plymouth, NE. She raises 47 different types of vegetables, berries, melons, and herbs, and also sells honey, jam, and baked goods. West End Farm is currently made up of approximately 1/2 acre in vegetable production including a newly-constructed high tunnel, a small berry patch, and 10 honeybee hives. The main marketing venue for her crops is the farm's CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program, in which customers sign up for a produce subscription and receive a weekly box of fresh vegetables all season long. She also sells her products at the Beatrice Farmers Market and to a couple of wholesale accounts. Katie's interest in local food has been influenced by a range of experiences including growing up on a dairy farm, studying environmental science in college, managing a community gardening program for a food pantry, and working on CSA farms in several states. When not working on the farm or at her town job, Katie is also involved in a variety of food/agriculture organizations including the Southeast Nebraska Food Partners food coalition, Nebraska Food Council, Nebraska Farmers Union, Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society, and Women in Local Food and Farming, as well as several research projects with the Center for Rural Affairs.
Sherry Jarvis from Burwell, NE started Heart in Your Hand Horsemanship in 2003, training horses and teaching horsemanship clinics across the country. She decided she wanted to stay home more often so she built Horse Lover’s Bunkhouse where guests can bring their own horses or lease the ranch horses for lessons and trail rides. With access to over 100,000 acres in the beautiful sandhills the trails are peaceful and scenic with no roads or power lines, just cattle, coyotes, deer, birds, and lots of frogs along the natural lakes. Sherry is also an inspirational speaker mostly for Christian women’s groups and churches. She is an author. Her first book is Win Your Horse’s Heart and she is currently working on finishing a couple more. Since Sherry is a retired school teacher she still loves teaching and in 2021 created an online coaching program for women in the 2nd half of life to help slow down premature aging by phasing out things from diet, lifestyle and thinking which accelerate aging.
Sherry Jarvis from Burwell, NE started Heart in Your Hand Horsemanship in 2003, training horses and teaching horsemanship clinics across the country. She decided she wanted to stay home more often so she built Horse Lover’s Bunkhouse where guests can bring their own horses or lease the ranch horses for lessons and trail rides. With access to over 100,000 acres in the beautiful sandhills the trails are peaceful and scenic with no roads or power lines, just cattle, coyotes, deer, birds, and lots of frogs along the natural lakes. Sherry is also an inspirational speaker mostly for Christian women’s groups and churches. She is an author. Her first book is Win Your Horse’s Heart and she is currently working on finishing a couple more. Since Sherry is a retired school teacher she still loves teaching and in 2021 created an online coaching program for women in the 2nd half of life to help slow down premature aging by phasing out things from diet, lifestyle and thinking which accelerate aging.
Brittany Bolte is an agronomist in north central Nebraska working with growers and producers on water/irrigation management, crop consulting and providing agronomic service and support to a handful of agriculture products such as row crop and forage seed. She grew up in southwest York county and got her first look at agronomy in the summer of 2007. After working for a couple of ag-retail companies, she started her business, Yield Plus Agronomics, in January of 2013 by focusing on water management and precision ag support. Then in September of 2018 that grew into crop consulting and planning, soil sampling, seed service and sales, and most recently, becoming a sales representative for a feed and salt/mineral company with a focus on soil health. Some of her big goals focus on a balanced, whole system approach to crop production, meaning it’s not just one thing or two things that get you to reach your goals within your operation, but that it takes ALL things to be balanced and collaborating with each other as a system to make those goals happen and go the distance. Her biggest joy is working with growers and producers to help their operations, family and their region be successful, in whatever way they define success for themselves.
Brittany Bolte is an agronomist in north central Nebraska working with growers and producers on water/irrigation management, crop consulting and providing agronomic service and support to a handful of agriculture products such as row crop and forage seed. She grew up in southwest York county and got her first look at agronomy in the summer of 2007. After working for a couple of ag-retail companies, she started her business, Yield Plus Agronomics, in January of 2013 by focusing on water management and precision ag support. Then in September of 2018 that grew into crop consulting and planning, soil sampling, seed service and sales, and most recently, becoming a sales representative for a feed and salt/mineral company with a focus on soil health. Some of her big goals focus on a balanced, whole system approach to crop production, meaning it’s not just one thing or two things that get you to reach your goals within your operation, but that it takes ALL things to be balanced and collaborating with each other as a system to make those goals happen and go the distance. Her biggest joy is working with growers and producers to help their operations, family and their region be successful, in whatever way they define success for themselves.
The Borg family farm, near Allen, Neb., raises crops, cattle and chickens. Her main role is operating the pullet barns that they raise for Costco. When she isn’t farming, you can find Hannah behind a camera or in a history book. Hannah graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a bachelor’s in Agricultural Communications. She has interned for FarmHer and the Rural Radio Network as a farm broadcaster, is active at her church and is a board member at the Wakefield Heritage Organization.
The Borg family farm, near Allen, Neb., raises crops, cattle and chickens. Hannah's main role is operating the pullet barns that they raise for Costco. When she isn’t farming, you can find her behind a camera or in a history book. Hannah graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a bachelor’s in Agricultural Communications. She has interned for FarmHer and the Rural Radio Network as a farm broadcaster, is active at her church and is a board member at the Wakefield Heritage Organization.
TRIPLE E EQUINE is a family owned and operated business near Beaver Crossing, Nebraska. Emily Shook and her sisters, Hannah and Sarah Eberspacher have grown up loving, owning, and showing horses locally and nationally in the AQHA, APHA, PtHA, and NSBA associations. As the fourth generation to live on the family’s farm, they have decided to incorporate their horse hobby by diversifying the farming operations to include a horse motel. On May 11, 2014, the family farm suffered significant damage by an F-3 tornado, including destroying the horse barn and indoor arena. Because of this tragic event, they decided to rebuild in a new direction. When the family rebuilt the barn and arena, they also built an attached Bunkhouse, which can be used as lodging for travelers. Emily created Triple E Equine during college through the Engler Entrepreneurship program at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Her sisters and her were natural business partners so they officially launched their business in 2016 to meet the needs of both travelers and their horses. They also offer indoor and outdoor horse boarding. Check out the horses they have for sale, too!
TRIPLE E EQUINE is a family owned and operated business near Beaver Crossing, Nebraska. Emily Shook and her sisters, Hannah and Sarah Eberspacher have grown up loving, owning, and showing horses locally and nationally in the AQHA, APHA, PtHA, and NSBA associations. As the fourth generation to live on the family’s farm, they have decided to incorporate their horse hobby by diversifying the farming operations to include a horse motel.
On May 11, 2014, the family farm suffered significant damage by an F-3 tornado, including destroying the horse barn and indoor arena. Because of this tragic event, they decided to rebuild in a new direction. When the family rebuilt the barn and arena, they also built an attached Bunkhouse, which can be used as lodging for travelers.
Emily created Triple E Equine during college through the Engler Entrepreneurship program at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Her sisters and her were natural business partners so they officially launched their business in 2016 to meet the needs of both travelers and their horses. They also offer indoor and outdoor horse boarding. Check out the horses they have for sale, too!