National Industry Study Turns All Eyes on Women in Agriculture

By Michelle Pelletier Marshall, Women in Agribusiness Media (February 17, 2026)

With a long history of organizational training and leadership development, Jessica Cabrera’s role directing member engagement for the American Farm Bureau Federation falls in line with her practiced perfection at meeting people where they are, while managing energized problem solving and inspiring excellence.

Most recently Cabrera’s team, based in Washington, D.C., has something new to get the nearly 6 million member families that comprise the federation all fired up about: an in-depth study of women in agriculture. Driven by their “voice of agriculture” mission, the women’s leadership program at Farm Bureau is spearheading a benchmark study, the National Women in Agriculture Study, which is funded by CoBank and JBS Foods.

Photo courtesy of American Farm Bureau Federation

“We aim to elevate and celebrate women in agriculture by taking the pulse of their roles and influence across the sector, gathering meaningful data, and translating those insights into clear action steps that will strengthen the future of the industry,” Cabrera told WIA Today in a recent interview. “With focused questions, the survey will assess women’s leadership and involvement, uncover barriers and opportunities, and generate actionable insights to strengthen engagement and support.”

Through a contract with a female-led national research firm, the study was formulated from the collaboration between Farm Bureau, CoBank and JBS. The survey is open for feedback through Tuesday, March 31 at womeninagstudy.com. As of January 30th, nearly 3,000 people had responded.

 “One does not have to be a woman, or a woman farmer to comment in the survey, as anyone involved in ag has feedback that can be useful – men who work alongside women, women in agribusiness across the ag value chain and those in policy, trade and more. More responses mean richer, more diverse data and understanding,” said Cabrera.

While major data points of the study will be presented at the International Year of the Woman Farmer ACE Summit in June 2026 in Washington, D.C., Cabrera will host a panel discussion at the 2026 Women in Agribusiness Summit this September 22-24 in New Orleans that will highlight actionable insights and opportunities to elevate and empower more women in ag driven by the survey results.

WIA Today spoke with Cabrera to get more details.

1). Please describe the origins and context of this benchmark study. What insights have prior studies produced, and how have those findings been applied?

American Farm Bureau’s Women’s Leadership program has been surveying women in agriculture since 2014 with that aim of gauging the goals, aspirations, achievements and needs of women in American agriculture. The first report was published in 2015 and the results of our second survey were published in 2019. With 2026 being designated as the International Year of the Woman Farmer, we decided to expand our effort by partnering with a research firm and two industry partners who have catalyzed the opportunity to conduct a more in-depth study through a national survey, focus groups and interviews. We’ve also collaborated with dozens of industry partners, like Women in Agribusiness, to help get the word out about the study so that we can capture a wide range of voices and perspectives across the agriculture sector.

Over the past 10 years, we have learned that women in agriculture are extremely active in advocating for agriculture, and they feel they have the skills to do so, but their engagements have been more independent in nature (social media advocacy, for example), and they have expressed a desire for more representation and formal leadership opportunities. They’ve also reported a need for more skill building, especially with regards to communication and business or financial acumen. The insights from the 2015 and 2019 studies have driven the program of work for our Farm Bureau women’s leadership program, as we have doubled the capacity for our Women’s Communications Boot Camp programming, we expanded the women’s ACE Summit learning and skill-building opportunities, and we launched AgConnectHER to showcase the leadership journeys of national female leaders in agriculture who have had success in formal leadership roles. 

2). How did collaboration with partner companies shape the development of the study, and what specific insights are you hoping to gain?

CoBank, JBS, our research firm, and women in agriculture were all strong contributors to the development of this year’s study. Building off the foundation of previous studies, which gives us the opportunity to compare and contrast data from previous years, we spent a lot of time listening to stakeholders and going through a reiterative review process to determine the final survey format and questions. Our research firm held roundtables with women in agriculture, which created a safe space to “tell it like it is,” giving us the ability to shape the survey around their lived experiences instead of simply utilizing academic insights or third-party perceptions.

Furthermore, the survey, all marketing materials, and focus groups are also available and distributed in Spanish, which widens our reach in the U.S., and better serves our Puerto Rican farmers.

Gathering both quantitative (survey) and qualitative (focus groups and interviews) data, we expect to have a much deeper understanding of women in agriculture with this year’s study. We hope to learn about any changes that have taken place since 2019, the current state of women’s leadership and engagement, and the needs and challenges that currently exist for women in agriculture.

 3). Why is this study important for U.S. women in agriculture, and how does one participate in the survey, focus groups and interviews?

I believe the U.S. is a global leader when it comes to women in agriculture – U.S. women are leading, farming, advocating, building businesses, educating, and innovating. Furthermore, in the U.S. we have incredible agrifood sector companies and organizations led by and invested in women in agriculture. I’m so thankful to live in this country where we have access to a wealth of resources and support systems at our fingertips, and I believe the International Year of the Woman Farmer is the perfect time to showcase what a strong model the U.S. can be for other nations that are not nearly as far along as we are on this journey.

Nevertheless, as I work with women farmers in the U.S. on a regular basis, and as a woman in agriculture myself, I’m aware that our challenges are often unique, hard to articulate, and can fly under the radar as we strive to break through the disparity and norms that have proceeded us or that still exist in the shadows. It is my hope that this study will give women an untethered voice – an honest representation of their experience – capturing both their strengths and their needs or challenges. Through honest and authentic representation, this data can showcase a promising future for American agriculture, while also informing strategies for stronger engagement and support systems for women in agriculture in years to come.

Visit womeninagsurvey.com to learn more and to access the survey, which will take 12-18 minutes to complete. Respondents will be given the choice to opt-in for the focus group or interview opportunity.    

ABOUT JESSICA CABRERA

Jessica Cabrera has worked to equip people and organizations to excel in the U.S. and abroad for more than 20 years. She holds a B.A. from Clemson University and a M.Ed. in Adult Education and Human Resource Studies from Colorado State University. At Colorado State, she was a Research on Diversity Fellow, received the John Coné award by the American Society for Training & Development and obtained a Graduate Certificate in Teaching with Technology & Distance Learning.

A lifelong learner, Cabrera is a Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD), a graduate of the Institute for Organization Management (IOM) hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and she is a Certified Association Executive (CAE). Cabrera currently resides in the Washington D.C. area and has previously lived in Chile, Mexico, Spain,