There’s just something about women stepping up to encourage each other to achieve professional success. After the success of NOVUS’ women-supporting-women poultry initiative named The Flock, the company’s swine team in North America is growing its Women in Swine Event (WISE) beyond a one-time activity, NOVUS shared in a release.
“When I first came into the industry, I was the only woman on the sales team as well as the youngest. I didn’t know anyone else who was in my position. To have the support of other women would’ve been huge for me as a young professional,” says Taylor Schminke, NOVUS senior sales specialist, who started her career in the pork industry at NOVUS in 2012.
Schminke helped host the first WISE getaway with her colleagues in 2023 in Wisconsin. The group brought together 25 pork customers again in May 2024 in Illinois. Activities at the events ranged from presentations on professional development and managing stress to less intense activities like candle-making and fitness sessions.
NOVUS says participation in WISE and The Flock is open to NOVUS customers who are women. The groups are kept small (no more than 30 participants for the WISE weekends) to ensure intimate connection.
“The focus of the week is building relationships. It’s about connecting. We create a space where people can be their authentic selves,” Schminke says. “Sure, there are presentations by business experts but there’s also bonfires and yoga and enjoying meals together. The goal is fellowship. As the hosts, we spend time making sure that happens for each of our customers.”
Competitors or Comrades?
According to the latest data from the USDA (2022 Census of Agriculture), only 36.3% of producers in the agriculture industry are women.
“Being able to bring women from different backgrounds and places in their lives together to show how they paved a path and can help pave a path is valuable to anyone but especially to women in an industry where men are still the majority,” Schminke says.
She believes there’s a barrier that exists, and that it is not exclusive to the pork industry.
“We have our guests fill out a survey after the week together,” she adds. “There’s always a handful of people who say, ‘I never would’ve met these women if it weren’t for this event; it’s not like I can walk up to a competitor at a trade show and introduce myself.’”
The events put the women in the same house together. Schminke says living together helps break tension and encourage bonding.
“They walk into that weekend knowing they are competitors but as soon as the conversations start, that doesn’t matter anymore. We learn quickly that we have so much in common and can learn so much from one another,” she says. “What’s really great is these women no longer avoid each other at events. They make a point of going to each other’s booths at trade shows and chatting. They’ve created a connection.”
Barb Determan, president of Heartland Marketing Group, Inc., and past National Pork Producers Council president, says she is grateful companies like Novus are taking steps to provide these experiences for women.
“When I joined the industry many years ago, there were very few women in sales and marketing or as elected leaders of the key organizations. That has changed and we are a stronger industry for that,” Determan says.
She believes the opportunity to connect with other women in the pork industry is very beneficial.
“We can share experiences, ideas and remember we have many hats to wear. Asking questions around the table and building contacts are just two examples of great outcomes from the WISE experience,” Determan says.
Rising Above
The presence of women in the agriculture industry is gradually growing, but there’s still a gap that can be decreased when women support each other, says Mercedes Vazquez-Anon, NOVUS senior director of strategic initiatives and accounts collaboration, and a presenter at WISE. She previously led the R&D team at NOVUS and has worked in the industry since 1996.
“This event provides women a platform to share their ideas, challenges, and opportunities, which builds long-lasting network support. Listening to each other empowers us!” she says. “Every woman at the event acts as a role model for the rest by sharing their stories. This has an extraordinary effect in recognizing and valuing women and encouraging us to do remarkable things.”
Schminke isn’t done fostering engagement within WISE. She hopes to keep engagement up year-round to solidify relationships built through this collaboration.
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