It’s Demeter Award Time! Now With a New Female Farmer Category
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By Michelle Pelletier Marshall, Women in Agribusiness Media (March 24, 2026)
For years, Women in Agribusiness (WIA) has honored women in ag with its annual Demeter Award of Excellence. This year, in celebration of 2026 being designated the International Year of the Woman Farmer, we have expanded the award to include a category exclusively for female farmers.
“It was more than fitting to expand our reach with this annual award in light of the United Nations’ declaration of it being the International Year of the Woman Farmer,” said Svitlana Synkovska, portfolio director for WIA. “We encourage all women to apply for this prestigious award that continues to flourish and serve as a hallmark of elevating women’s achievements and strengthening their leadership influence across the ag and food sectors.”
WIA has partnered with the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) in this endeavor to recognize a female farmer. AFBF will help promote the program and review and select the recipient, and also participate in the onstage presentation of the award at the 15th annual Women in Agribusiness Summit in September in New Orleans.
The nomination period for Demeter Awards is now open, and will be until Monday, June 22. So take a few minutes to think of the outstanding women in ag and farming that you know (it could be yourself as self-nominations are welcome) and fill out the nomination form. See all the guidelines for nomination here.
Past recipients of the award hail from companies like ProAg, Dairy Girl Network, the Coca-Cola Company, Texas A&M University and AgBiome.
Why did the women stand out? Because, according to their nominations, they:
“… are a dynamic businesswoman who is credited with transforming the largest farmer co-operative in the UK from operating at a huge loss to ending with an $8 million profit, and a $30 million increase in revenue. She is the founder of Ladies in Agriculture, created to facilitate networking and mentorship opportunities.” – said about Christine Tacon, UK Regulator, 2018 Demeter Award recipient
“are a visionary leader and facilitator of change… a leading international expert on agriculture and food policies, and a trusted, collaborative partner for our Canadian industry… Internationally, she is the founder of Farming First, a coalition for global ag advocacy; she also helped build the International Agri-Food Network; and has worked extensively to increase the attention on the role of women farmers, and support land tenure rights for women in places where those rights don’t exist.” – said about Robynne Anderson, Emerging Ag, 2018 Demeter Award recipient
“… are one of the most accomplished, celebrated and admired women in agribusiness. Of the many things that she does best is her ability to listen, learn and relate… It gives her a unique perspective and that speaks well of her unique leadership skill set. She has walked in all our shoes, so now as president of the Crop Protection Platform, she understands firsthand the challenges and frustrations of selling. She cares deeply, too, not just for our needs, but for the needs of our customers.” – said about Susanne Wasson, Corteva Agriscience, 2019 Demeter Award recipient
“…are the first woman to hold the title of valedictorian of her class at Universidade de São Paulo in Brazil where she obtained an agriculture engineering degree; the first female scientist hired by Dupont in its agriculture business, and the first female business director at its Latin American operations, and ultimately the first female president of DuPont do Brasil.” – said about Priscila Vansetti Machado, Corteva Agriscience, 2020 Demeter Award recipient
“… she co-established “Women of Novus,” an organization that provides female workers the opportunity to build a community of women as networking partners in agriculture. She is one of the most consistent performers I have ever worked alongside. She rarely misses a commitment and is one of the most customer-driven professionals in our segment of the industry. Her spirit of advancement and team collaboration is one of a kind. She’s the epitome of ‘class’ and truly cares about young people and fights for the betterment of our company culture.” – said about Connie Herschbach, Novus Ag, 2023 Demeter Award recipient
