Agriculture + Lifestyle

Kristen Traugh

Saorise Farms

What does agriculture mean to you?

"Agriculture is a way of life for me. My days revolve around soil, livestock and phone calls. Besides the important work of feeding the world with safe, sustainable food sources, agriculture was a way for me to better myself, my land and to help the people around me. Agriculture for me is early mornings, late nights, and the satisfaction of knowing I'm doing exactly what I am supposed to do. I enjoy cultivating life on this land. It gave me a career and a lifestyle, of which I am incredibly grateful for.."

What does it mean to you to be a female in the agriculture industry?

“I don't think being a woman in ag is a special title; it's simply who I am and what I do. This is still an industry with predominantly men as operators, but the first qualifications should be work ethic and integrity, not gender. Most people are realizing that now. I'm so excited for the next generation of women in and around agriculture. I can't wait to see how they bring their skills to life.”

Tina Duffey

Red Oak Lavender Farm LLC

What does agriculture mean to you?

“Agriculture is like breathing and having a heart beat with the earth. Human kind has been doing agriculture for centuries. It’s a way to become self sufficient as well as share the benefits with others. I’ve always enjoyed working with my hands and getting dirty and then seeing my efforts come to fruition. It’s truly like watching a miracle. Then to be outside with nature, hearing the birds sing, butterflies and bees doing their thing. It’s peaceful being outside and watching things grow. It’s a full life cycle, each one depending on one another.”

What do you want people to know about the agriculture industry?

“I’ve never taken no for an answer when it was something I believed in. I’ve always loved growing things, whether it’s flowers or vegetables. I believe in myself. With any endeavors you take on learn all you can and then try your best. I am constantly researching and writing down everything, so it’s a learning process with successes and failures. Each time learning more and more moving forward. I would say in the end we are human and can do anything if we set our heart and mind to it.”

Paula Lewis 

Two Families LLC

What does agriculture mean to you?

“Agriculture is the backbone of our country and it ensures not only jobs and food security but opportunity, entrepreneurship and freedom. While the industry is constantly under fire and scrutiny from those who don’t fully see the whole picture, we are confidently called to action as ambassadors and truth tellers of a culture that is as old as time. With that culture, as in any culture, time passes and practices change and become more effective and more efficient as we learn and grow as people employed in an industry that literally feeds and clothes the world. We must be flexible, teachable and show grace to ourselves and others as we traverse new ground.”

What does it mean to you to be a female in the agriculture industry?

“I am keenly aware of the privilege I have as a woman in the agriculture industry. I tip my hat to all the countless women before me who have endured hardships as well as massive discoveries and accomplishments that have shaped our industry as a whole! Without their contributions to our industry, women like me would not be as inclined to be a part of such as amazing community of agriculturalists. What has become most evident to me in the ten plus years since exiting my secondary education and entering the workforce, as well as becoming an entrepreneur within the industry, is that agriculture is all about connection. Connection to your craft. Connection to others. We cannot win others over on pure facts and figures. We must take the time to make connections with those around us so that we can ignite those pilot lights of love for our farmers and ranchers all over the world. We snuff out fear and mistrust one connection at a time. We can change perceptions and educate others simply by taking the time to share our stories in a humble and approachable way. As a woman in agriculture, I aim to do this on a daily basis. I am a walking billboard for my industry and I hold a responsibility to help perpetuate that industry’s future for my children’s sake and for generations to come.”

Heather Cabe

CABE Period

What agriculture mean to you?

“Agriculture was my childhood, my current way of life, what I see in my future and where I hope to leave some sort of legacy for my children. It's a place of highs and lows, riddled with lessons and memories that I would never want to picture a life without. Agriculture has taught me to wear many hats - sometimes more than one at a time - it means being a business partner with my husband, a teacher to our children, caretaker of our land and livestock all while attempting to have supper on the table at the end of the day. Most of all, being a part of the ag industry has shown me that being a servant to Christ for the resources that He has entrusted me with is highest on the priority list. Agriculture, to me, means grace for today, mercy for tomorrow and faith for the future.”

What does it mean to you to be a female in the agriculture industry?

"In my opinion, being a female in agriculture should be no outlier. Some of the hardest working women I know spend/spent their days amidst thousands of chickens, driving tractors through the hayfield and earning the title of farmer alongside their husbands whether they knew it or not.  Male or female - we all are working towards the same goal of feeding the world. On the flip side of that coin, being a female in the ag industry (especially when it comes to livestock) means another chance to offer a compassionate hand to a new calf, another chance to explain a hard life lesson with direct application and a chance to bring a different appearance to what the world sees when they think "farmer".”