Ten-Hut! Farm Bureau Women Sharpen Skills at Communications Boot Camp

Oct 25, 2023

Fifteen farm and ranch women leaders graduated from the fall session of Women’s Communications Boot Camp hosted by the American Farm Bureau Federation.

The agricultural leaders completed an intensive four-day course that featured hands-on sessions focused on public speaking, working with the media and messaging. Program graduates will use their training to strategically support Farm Bureau’s priority issues. This includes participating in local media opportunities, sharing information with elected officials and joining social media campaigns that spotlight modern agriculture.

“Agriculture needs strong advocates who are willing to step up and share their stories on the local, state and national level,” said Isabella Chism, an Indiana row crop farmer and chair of the AFB Women’s Leadership Committee. “The Farm Bureau women leaders who have completed this training are poised to creatively use their skills in a broad range of settings.”

Boot Camp graduates are Nicole Richardson Clements, Arizona; Rachel Bearden, Arkansas; Nanette Auhll, Colorado; Julie Hardy, Georgia; Janis Highley, Indiana; Jennifer Newby, Kentucky; Courtney Gerace, Louisiana; Danielle Yerby, Louisiana; Meghan Gennings, Massachusetts; Carlina Harris, New Mexico; Julia Hardy, North Carolina; Margaret Harrison, South Carolina; Emilee Haubner, Texas; Megan Webb, West Virginia; and Diane Garcia, Utah.

“Engaging with elected officials and consumers is an important element of agriculture advocacy work,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “AFBF is proud to continue offering this training to women farmers and ranchers twice each year. I applaud our graduates and congratulate them for taking this next step in their leadership journey.”

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.