Meet NCGA: One of the Many WIA Partners Creating Spaces for Women to Thrive

By Kendra Ricks, National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), and Michelle Pelletier Marshall, Women in Agribusiness Media (July 1, 2025)

Women in Agribusiness partners with a variety of organizations in ag and ag media as a part of its efforts to spread the word about its WIA initiatives. This year, we have over 20 partners representing ag in many different ways – from the Women’s Meat Institute to the North American Agricultural Advisory Network (NAAAN) to the National FFA Foundation – and they all have a critical role in the industry. Many of them – like Successful Farming, devote entire news sections to women in the sector, and others like Farm Progress, have their “Women in the Field” series, while others, like the International Association of Operative Millers (IAOM), have dedicated women in ag groups.

Others still have events that raise the awareness of successful women in the sector (like our Women in Agribusiness Summit!) and provide multiple ways to help women grow and learn in the sector. Take the National Corn Growers Association’s (NCGA) Women and Mentors Retreat, which was held last week in Chicago. The retreat is designed to foster a diverse network of individuals who wish to empower women in agriculture.

Said Kendra Ricks, who is the operations director for the NCGA’s Washington, D.C., office and heads up the NCGA Women & Mentors program, “Throughout the conference, participants learned to ‘Quiet their Inner Critic’ with help from author Randi Braun, explored their strengths through the CliftonStrengths Assessment, learned ways to embrace authenticity with Felecia Pryor, chief people officer of John Deere, and worked through project development ideas in a team setting.”

This year included a new panel session titled "Women in Association Leadership," which was moderated by upcoming WIA Summit speaker Krista Swanson, NCGA’s chief economist. The panel also included 2019 National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Jennifer Houston, who has an interesting tie to the 2025 Women in Agribusiness Summit.

At the Summit this fall, Virginia Houston, Jennifer’s daughter who is the director of government affairs at the American Soybean Association (ASA), will be a panelist on the Trade Policy and Market Access Panel, speaking on the outlook and challenges in the commodities industry.

“In whatever commodity you’re in, the U.S. raises the best food, fiber – in the cattle business, the most helpful, nutritious, product in the world and women are involved in that process across the nation and all across the world,” said Jennifer Houston.

Sharing in the WIA vision and mission, Jarah Hauger, a representative of event sponsor John Deere said, “We feel it’s very important to elevate the role of women in agriculture, so that they can continue to grow as leaders and lead future customer organizations.”

In closing, Ricks said, “NCGA would like to thank the sponsors of the Women and Mentors Retreat: Syngenta, FMC, Bayer, John Deere and BASF. NCGA is also grateful for our partners like Women in Agribusiness. These organizations are aligned with our vision of creating a meaningful network for empowering women in agriculture, and our impact becomes stronger when we work together.”

ABOUT KENDRA RICKS

Kendra Ricks is the operations director for the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) Washington, D.C., office. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing the daily operations of that office, as well as amplifying the voice of member growers through leading NCGA’s Political Action Committee fundraising efforts. Ricks also manages the NCGA policy creation process and heads the NCGA Women & Mentors program.

Prior to joining NCGA, Ricks served as director of legislative services for the American Farm Bureau Federation where she managed the public policy support staff and prepared members across the country for their legislative advocacy trips. Prior to AFBF, Ricks worked for Senator Larry Craig (R-Idaho) as the Senator’s scheduler and legislative correspondent.

Ricks is originally from Soda Springs, Idaho, and holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Brigham Young University. She currently resides in Reston, Virginia with her husband, Robert.