A View Inside WIA Summit 2023
By Michelle Pelletier Marshall, Women in Agribusiness Media (October 10, 2023)
Nearly 1,200 women in ag gathered for the 12th annual Women in Agribusiness Summit last month in Nashville – our largest event yet! We welcomed attendees from 47 U.S. states and 13 countries, including Brazil, Canada, Kenya, and Nicaragua. More than 60 sponsors contributed to help make this event a success, and over 65 speakers and more than 250 attending organizations created the buzz of activity, networking, and excitement that are the hallmark of this annual event.
In case you missed it, here are some of the highlights. And don’t forget to join us in Denver next year, September 24-26, for the 13th annual Women in Agribusiness Summit.
First, here's what attendees had to say when asked the question "What did you enjoy most about the Women in Agribusiness Summit?":
"Never have I been a part of a gathering of so many talented women from all over the industry. The network opportunities that this event presents are unparalleled."
"As a first-time attendee, I was very impressed with the conference as a whole. The sessions were a good mix of personal/leadership development and industry topics. There were great networking opportunities and everyone was very willing to visit and connect. I enjoyed the panel discussions the most."
"This is the one can't-miss conference of the year because of the focus on empowering women through varying topics covering everything from personal to technical development. I don't know any other place you can get this much relevant content packed into a few days."
"It's like a reunion, connecting with women from around the world with a similar passion, taking a moment to enjoy what we do and sharing it, meeting new people and developing new relationships."
"Networking! The caliber of the attendees and the broad subject areas covered made this an extremely productive and educational experience."
"I loved how many young women attended. It really shows how promising the future of Agribusiness is!"
"I had a great time at the WIA conference. The networking opportunities were fantastic, and the main speaker's empowering message about women in agriculture was inspiring. Additionally, I got to know my coworkers better, strengthening our friendships and improving our future collaboration. It made the conference even more enjoyable."
"I enjoyed the opportunity to sit in a room with 1,100 other women who were actively interested in agriculture and advancing their knowledge in the industry. It was evident that the people involved were passionate about their jobs and roles within agriculture and that was awesome to see!"
"It was so motivating and inspiring to be around so many accomplished and driven women. The time was invaluable!"
In the News:
We had RFD-TV reporting from the event and interviewing more than a dozen key speakers and attendees, and sharing sessions and content on their popular station. Their own Katie Avant moderated our Female Producer Panel and hosted the Media Training: Connecting With Your Audience workshop. See more here reported by Tammi Arender of RFD-TV.
And Carrie Vita, WIA event director, shared more about the event in her interview.
We also had nine other interviews with speakers, student scholars and female producers from Bunge, the American Seed Association, Cargill, Bayer and more. Look here to watch them all.
Additionally, there were several pre-event podcast interviews done by Chrissy Wozniak with North American Ag. Take a look:
Leveraging the Cooperative Model, an interview with Dr. Kerri Jacobs, executive director, Graduate Institute of Cooperative Leadership, University of Missouri.
Insight into Farmland Values: A Comprehensive Recap & Outlook, with Dr. Bruce Sherrick, Dir. TIAA Center for Farmland Research & Fruin Prof. of Farmland Economics, University of Illinois, iFAR-LLP, ACA.
Innovations Changing the Future of Agriculture & Food with Susanne Wasson, agricultural industry executive/board director.
Ag to Gen Z’s Impact on Agriculture with Jill Bramble, president and CEO, National 4-H Council.
Also, keep a look out for the RFD-TV onsite interviews, which will be shared soon. These include interviews with Mary Snapp of Microsoft, Jessica Stephan of Bunge, Annie Saltarikos of Bayer, and Janae Brady of the American Seed Trade Association.
Heard/Seen on Social Media:
“Being a neurosurgeon I can help thousands of people. Being in agriculture, I can help millions of people.”
"What is Gen Z looking for in the workplace? Today's Ag to Gen Z panel provided many answers; freedom, sense of purpose, competitive salaries, remote work, flexibility, trust from supervisors, good company culture, welcoming environment, and enjoyable work!”
“Inclusion DOES start with I! Thank you Ebony Webber, Jessica Adleman, Jennifer Deitloff, Meagan Moul, and Ron Toran for providing insight on DEI initiatives and calls to action on how we individually can transform our workplace!”
"Agriculture ‘inside and outside the gate’ equals 25% of Brazil's GDP; 8 out of every 10 cups of coffee consumed in the world comes from Brazil.” – from Robert Paffaro’s presentation on ag in Brazil.
"Considering labor, paper, traceability, communication & transparency in logistics & ag transportation at #WIAS23 presentation with Brittany Batz, Cobblefield LLC; Kaylee Heap with Roger; and Jessica Stephan with Bunge."
"New frontier of AI,” said Mary Snapp of Microsoft presenting at #WIAS23, “that will revolutionize the ag sector. We see AI driving significant advances in ag research and across all sectors of our economy."
“Dr. @Keriljacobs explains how ‘Agricultural cooperatives permit producers to fully participate in capitalism...’ in her #WIAS23 breakout session."
“More than 80 women in #protein gathered for the annual networking dinner at #WIAS23 for those in this sector.”
For more details about WIA 2023, look here. To join us in Denver in September 2024, register here.
