Latest News From Women in Ag

Aryeri Bardales knew graduate school in the U.S. wouldn't be easy, but she believed it was the best chance for her to find her niche in the pork industry. Here's how she's working to improve pig livability.

Summer Doty hasn’t saved anyone from a burning building or led an army into battle. She hasn’t jumped into the path of an oncoming train. Still, the work she does at Islercrest Farms is proof not all heroes wear capes. 

Edgewood Locker got its start in rural northeast Iowa in 1966. The business now spans over three generations, and it's largely thanks to Joan Kerns who helped start the family business that's now seen phenomenal growth.

What started with an eagerness for a hands-on learning experience in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, ended with a new passion and opportunity for Carlie Rogers, a first-gen college student.

When I opened the door, my jaw dropped. Despite what every mother in her right mind would be tempted to do in that moment, I paused when I saw her black heels in the middle of the mess.

A pig showman, golfer and FFA officer, Paizlee Hardin was a happy high school sophomore. But on March 15, her life as she knew it changed when she began experiencing “crazy symptoms” and lost her ability to walk.

Phillip Hord and Jessica Stevens are two examples of what happens when pig farmers think outside of the box to grow demand and build confidence in U.S. pork among consumers.

At 22 years old, Emma decided the college life wasn't for her. She dropped out and decided to become a farmhand. With each adventure comes lessons she shares on her "Ag With Emma" social media accounts.

Naomi Gretter, Kari Berg and Sky Hahn share a lot in common: teaching, motherhood and pig farming. Here's why they quit their jobs and opened up a coffee truck in a quest to stop the "crazy life" and "grow slow."

It was way too late on a Sunday night to be doing laundry at a coin laundromat in an unfamiliar part of town. But we had no choice. There are some things in life you just have to do even when you don’t want to.

Caitlyn Wileman, an Iowa State University Ph.D. student, is studying the changes in the microbiome of the pig and its manure when fed different levels of soybean meal. Here's why she's an up-and-coming leader to know.

As a writer, I meet many amazing people. Over time, if you are so blessed, you get to talk with some of the special ones over and over again. I think that’s why I was so deeply impacted by the passing of Kara Ungerman.

A wheelchair didn’t stop Joel from showing a pig at the state fair. He was one of many kids with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities who made a debut in the show ring during the “Breaking Boundaries” Pig Show.

A heat wave that's smashed records in the Southwest is spreading into the Midwest and Northeast this week. Unfortunately, it's the peak of county fair season for many and the daunting forecast has exhibitors concerned. 

2023 FFAR Vet Fellow Lauren Nicole Cromwell of the University of Wisconsin-Madison will be studying swine pain management. 

Summer Hardin burst into tears when lot number 22 brought in a shocking $111,000 at the Parker County Stock Show Sale of Champions. Although one could say the Champion Berkshire was a great one, it wasn’t about the pig.

A pig showman, golfer and FFA officer, Paizlee Hardin was a happy high school sophomore. But on March 15, her life as she knew it changed when she began experiencing “crazy symptoms” and lost her ability to walk.

What makes a good mom? That's a question that PORK editor Jennifer Shike has been asking for nearly 17 years. Here's a little honest insight into her journey.

When you're a storyteller, you often get to hang behind the scenes to tell someone else's story. It’s a safe place because it’s not about you — it’s about them. It’s less risky and more predictable.

Liz Hayden, a freshman at Lincoln Land Community College and a former Section 12 Illinois FFA president, recently voiced her opinion on Senate Bill 2132 during a testimony in front of an Illinois Senate committee.

When Bobbie Vowell threw together a TikTok video of her 16-year-old daughter Madison showing a pig, she never imagined it would go viral. The video has already surpassed 12.2 million views.

It’s great to know what you want to do next, but we don’t always get to control how life shakes out. That's why mental toughness may be one of the most important attributes we can develop.

If your spouse dies, look into filing Form 706 Federal Estate Tax Return with the IRS. Taking that step could help you protect farm assets so they pass to your heirs without estate taxes. The process isn't automatic.

USDA's second-highest ranking executive, Jewel Bronaugh, announced her resignation on Thursday as Agriculture Deputy Secretary.

Although Trish Cook didn’t set out to be a pig farmer, she’s spent the last 27 years doing just that. At the 2023 Iowa Pork Congress, she was named the first female president of IPPA. Here's an inside look.

Brooke Taylor shares her battle with cancer on her Rural Gone Urban social media accounts. Now, she's working to spread joy to others through her Rural Gone Urban Foundation to leave a legacy larger than cancer.

Cristen Clark is a FarmHer to be admired. If you’ve ever stumbled across her blog, Food and Swine, you know she loves her family, agriculture and food.

Ten years ago, Courtney Knupp traveled to Mexico as part of Pork Leadership Institute. Little did she realize then how her path would make a full circle a decade later.

Here’s a look at five common take-aways from our PORKtober feature advocates and how their experience may help you begin sharing your story.

From a pig veterinarian to a social media superstar, Cara Haden, DVM, shares her rise to TikTok stardom and the purpose behind it all.

As this week’s Farmer Feature, a wife, mother and boots-on-the-ground co-owner of a swine nursery operation, Heidi Flory, shares how she contributes to the pork industry both on and off the stage.

Obtaining rectal temperatures on sow farms is very time consuming. Kaci Way, a DVM student at The Ohio State University, said it can often drop in priority on the farm’s to-do list. Here's a way to bump it up the list.

By the world’s standards, they looked like an unlikely group of employees to bring into a sow barn. But to Jimmy Tosh, owner of Tosh Farms, they looked like a group of women who could use a second chance.

Maddison Caldwell woke up on Dec. 19, 2019, with a plan for the ultimate act of finality. Death by her own hand. Here's the miraculous story of her journey from death to hope.

A show pig is often a family affair. For one Georgia family, a show pig became more of a companion as the animal brought their 16-year old daughter normalcy as her father battled cancer in the middle of the pandemic.

There’s nothing like the love of an animal to get you through hard times. Miriam King, 16, learned this lesson in the past year as her family battled not one, but two wars in the midst of a global pandemic.

The first thing Gracee Workman will tell you about her story is she is not a victim. She grew up far from hog barns and oblivious of the industry she's come to love. Here's her journey from the streets to the barn.

The first thing Gracee Workman will tell you about her story is she is not a victim. Shew grew up far from hog barns and oblivious of the industry she's come to love. Here's her journey from the streets to the barn.

Audrey Angus, a swine specialist with Furst-McNess, opens up about her battle with cancer and how she refuses to let it define her.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the barn when Samantha Nicole Iselt of Lexington, Texas, was named the exhibitor of the Grand Champion Market Barrow at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo.

Audrey Angus opens up about her battle with cancer.