As 2023 comes to a close, it’s a good time to reflect on the year that’s passed. It feels like the year just flew by. But when I look back, though, it was a year full of extensive travel and plenty of opportunities to network. It was also a year of powerful women. This is a shoutout to the ones who truly stood out.
Every February, I travel to Berlin to cover Fruit Logistica, a trade fair for global fruit and vegetable producers and traders. It was here that I met Camilla Khrulova, application specialist with Arrowlake, a company that’s developed an innovative ozone generator that degrades bacterial load in processing wash water. My interaction with Camilla taught me to take stock of my own personal biases. It’s a lesson I won’t forget.
It's here that I met two of my favourite communications specialists. Kim Beeks, marketing and sales manager at Sormac, is real a standout. Always ready to assist, she’s a great listener, and knows exactly who I need to speak with to get the best story. Key Technology’s public relations manager Sandra McBride has similar attributes. She might be the most responsive communications person I’ve ever met. On the brink of retirement, she’s passed the reins on to her daughter, Cat, who’s shown herself to be every bit as professional as her mother.
In June, I travelled to Canada for the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) annual congress. The congress took place in Olds, Alberta in the heart of beef and barley country. It was here where I met the Field Crop Development Centre scientists Jennifer Zantinge and Lori Oatway. Jennifer is a molecular cereal geneticist and Lori is a grain quality research scientist. Both women are working hard to improve the outcome of Alberta’s world class barley breeding program.
At the same congress, I briefly met ex-Canadian cabinet member and author Jody Wilson-Raybould. In her talk to the 250 or so agricultural journalists from around the world, Jody offered actionable solutions for true reconciliation with Canada’s First Nations people. Her book, True Reconciliation, sets out three core practices – learn, understand and act – that can be applied by individuals, communities, organisations and governments. Her words were eloquent, and her vision truly inspiring.
In August, I headed to California to tour tomato crops, peach orchards and canning facilities. For the first time ever, I arrived at a press event to find just women. Women nutritionists and dieticians, women bloggers and communicators… women everywhere. While each and every woman had a truly impressive story, Dani Lebovitz, registered dietician and child nutrition educator, was the real standout. Dani focuses her seemingly infinite energy on teaching parents how to educate their kids about nutrition in an easy-to-consume manner. She’s a true gem. I hope we meet again.
In October, I headed to Chicago for the World Dairy Summit where the Tirupati, India-based women dairy farmers organisation Shreeja Mahila Milk Producer Company received an award for women empowerment. Excitement at the awards ceremony was quickly subdued when three men came up to receive the plaque. Nevertheless, the 120,000 women strong cooperative is deserving of the award, as it has done much to raise the status of women farmers.
In November, I headed off to Hanover, Germany for a week of Agritechnica, the world’s largest trade fair for agricultural machinery. There, I was pleasantly surprised to see a marked increase in the number of women professionals working at the event. It was there I met Solenne Bourgeois, a crop care product specialist with John Deere, who spoke passionately about the next evolution in sprayer technology, and Courtney Baxter, director of global communications at Bushel Plus, who explained to me with absolute clarity how a ‘Smart Pan’ works and what exactly a concave does. I love meeting enthusiastic women who are eager to educate in an approachable and friendly way.
This year, Agritechnica presented its first Women in Agriculture award, the result of a collaborative effort between the DLG and Women in Ag magazine. What’s most incredible about the award is that it brings together so many great women who are united in a single cause: to celebrate the success of other women. Working tirelessly in the background is Women in Ag founder, Kim Schoukens, who’s not eligible to win the award. But if she were, I’d hazard a guess that she’d win.
As the year comes to a close, I can’t help but wonder: which wonderful women will I meet in 2024?