The Year in Review: WIA 2025
- Michelle Pelletier Marshall
- 4 minutes ago
- 3 min read
By Michelle Pelletier Marshall, Women in Agribusiness Media (December 23, 2025)
Hello WIA Today readers!
It has been quite a year in U.S. agriculture. Thank you for joining us for the ride! From tariffs that nearly stopped the flow of soybeans out of the U.S., to rising demand for domestic processing (for biofuels), to ongoing discussion about how AI and data analytics are and will shape ag and the future of farming, there has been much to follow. So much of it we covered at our annual Summit, such as:
Sustainable Aviation Fuel on the WIA Summit panel with Syngenta, Delta Air Lines, CoBank and Gevo. See the takeaways here.
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The coverage of trade and policy and data in driving commodities in a keynote session presented by Karen Braun, chief market analyst at Ag Zaner Hedge. And her Q&A interview with WIA Today, “The simple fact is that U.S. producers have more global competition than ever. The U.S. accounted for 59 percent of global corn exports in the late 2000s, but that share has dropped to 31 percent in recent years, especially with the rise of Brazil," said Braun. Read more.
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News on transportation, the farm economy and building the roots of a career in ag during live onsite WIA Summit interviews with AgriPulse with NAEGA, FTI Consulting, Kynetec and more.
And simply, “Finding Resilience and Opportunity at WIA 2025” by Kincannon & Reed’s Sally Day and Lisa Johnson
These stories are only part of the picture that Women in Agribusiness shared throughout the year to keep our community informed, connected and in-the-know. Here are some favorite 2025 stories from WIA Today that you may have missed:
The mental health crisis among farmers by highlighting the efforts of Mind Your Melon. Co-founder Taylor Sewell shared the truth of the matter that addressing mental health issues for farmers is at a critical impasse citing multiple studies have shown that farmer suicide rates are 2-5x higher than the national average (and the average is 14.1 per 100,000 population in 2023). And this hits home for Taylor and her husband Marshal, whose father took his own life after a severe crop failure.
The unexpected disruptors of ag: GLP-1 and AI – an in-depth article by WIA Advisory Board member Mary Shelman, and AJ Shelman. Said Mary Shelman, “Two emerging forces – GLP-1 weight loss drugs and artificial intelligence – could completely rewrite the rules of the game. Unlike anything that's come before, these technologies have the potential to disrupt the very foundation of how we make food choices, leading to fewer calories consumed and a shift towards healthier options. These shifts at the individual level have the potential to impact the entire agri-food value chain, with implications for everyone from consumers to farmers.”
A focus on women-led companies: Here's how the power of sisterhood is steering and realigning RFD-TV through the changing times in agmedia. Owners Raquel Gottsch Koehler and Gatsby Gottsch Solheim are tackling that change and stepping it up in their roles as the next generation of owners and executives.
And always a favorite story – the recipients of the 2025 Women in Agribusiness Demeter Award of Excellence – Leah Anderson of Winfield United/Land O’Lakes; Frances Churchill of Kansas State University; and Sara Neagu-Reed, director of production and environmental policy for the International Fresh Produce Association.
There’s much more news and profiles of women in ag in our blog. Take a peek.
Thank you for being a part of the WIA community. We look forward to hearing from you and meeting with you in 2026!
All the best through this holiday season,
Michelle Pelletier Marshall Managing Editor, WIA Today
P.S. Due the holidays, look for our next post on January 6.
