Rooted in Leadership: Women are Shaping Agriculture’s Future

Jun 01, 2026

By Cyndie Shearing

Women Farm Bureau leaders recently provided insights on challenges facing women in agriculture, their vision for the future and advice for those entering the field. Their responses to questions are shared below in a roundtable-style format.

Participant Snapshot

Angela Bailey, President, Oregon Farm Bureau
Joyce Brady, President, New Hampshire Farm Bureau
Isabella Chism, Chair, America Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee, Indiana
Cyndi Johnson, President, Montana Farm Bureau
Val Wagner, President, North Dakota Farm Bureau
Mary White, President, Vermont Farm Bureau
Katie Wiese, Secretary, American Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee, Minnesota

Reflecting on your life, can you point to a woman (or group of women) you know personally who influenced your farming or ranching journey?

Angela Bailey – For me, our family’s farm legacy, especially my mom’s, was a significant influence. Today, Oregon is one of the leading states in the nation for female farmer representation, outpacing the national average. When my mom was farming, she was breaking ground for the rest of us. I’m certain she never saw herself that way; she simply loved growing trees and helping her customers.

Before starting her tree nursery in 1967, she worked at a neighboring nursery. Unlike many of her generation, she was the primary farmer in our family while my dad worked as a schoolteacher.

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Video: Same Grit, New Name: A Conversation with Ryan Calistro of Bower Ag

Swine Leaders Live, we sit down with Ryan Calistro, President of Bower Ag, to discuss a major brand transition in the ag construction and solutions space—and what it means for swine producers. Bower Ag represents a new, unified identity, bringing together Ag Property Solutions, Dairy Specialists, and The Dairy Solutions Group under one name. But as Ryan explains, this isn’t about change for the sake of change—it’s about strengthening what already works and delivering more value to producers.

We dive into:

• What Bower Ag is and why the transition was made

• What stays the same for longtime customers

• How combining multiple businesses creates new opportunities for producers

• What today’s producers are asking for—and how Bower Ag is responding

• Key insights heading into World Pork Expo

If you’ve worked with APS before—or are evaluating partners for your next project—this conversation provides a clear look at where Bower Ag is headed and how they’re positioning themselves for the future.