“I think the next generations of women are ready to take up space. Most of the women I know who are passionate about what they do are prepared to speak up and voice their opinions. I would encourage them to follow that instinct.“

Q: Tell us about your agricultural operation, your background and how you got started in agriculture. 

I currently work as the Quality and Lab Manager for Universal Seed LLC in Independence Oregon. I have been a Registered Seed technologist since 2012, and started my career in agriculture working at Tangent Seed Lab in Tangent Oregon. I also had the opportunity to work with Sharon Davidson at Agri Seed Testing. I started accidentally, because I needed a job doing just about anything. My husband had worked one summer for Tangent and I decided that if he can do that- I can do that too. 13 years later, I was sworn in as the president of the Society of Commercial Seed Technologists. So- yes I can do that too.

Q: What does working in agriculture, and specifically being a woman in agriculture, mean to you?

I wasn’t born into working in agriculture, the way that many people are. It’s something that I found on my own when I was looking for what career path I would take. When I attend industry meetings often there is some lament over the reduced number of “farm kids” available to step in to take the place of those retiring. I have always found that opening up opportunities to those who may not be from the old guard, and may come with new ideas is one of the best ways to maintain sustainability. If there aren’t enough farm kids, hire an English major willing to learn, hire someone willing to get their hands dirty, hire a mom starting her second career. Women have shown time and time again that we are leaders, and are ready to step in and lead.
One of the aspects of working in agriculture that keeps me involved is that our work Matters, with a capital M. What we do in the field, in our labs, and in our associations directly touches millions of people. We oversee the quality of seed and crops that are grown, are involved in developing new varieties to produce better feed for livestock, and represent stakeholders in our companies and associations at every level. Even if the rest of the world falls into ruin- agriculture remains as a vital career.

Q: What do you wish the next generation of women in agriculture would know about your work? What advice would you give them?

I think the next generations of women are ready to take up space. Most of the women I know who are passionate about what they do are prepared to speak up and voice their opinions. I would encourage them to follow that instinct. I would encourage women who are struggling to find their place in agriculture to seek out broader aspects of the field. I found my way into agriculture working in seed labs, examining seeds and seedlings. There is so much more to agriculture than what is show in media, and there is room for everyone’s talents.
I would also encourage the next generations of farmers to embrace diversity and to be mindful of policy decisions that will truly support the people doing the work.

Q: Have you had access to formal education or informal training programs to help you grow your operation?

Almost all of my training has been hands-on, in the lab. AOSA & SCST put on many different kinds of workshops, and some of my favorites have also been lead by women. In particular Debbie Meyer (ret.) from the California Department of Food and Agriculture and Jennifer Neudorf from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency have taught excellent purity and seed ID workshops for the organizations and remain excellent resources to this day.

Q: What would make it easier for women in agriculture to access the capital they need?

For organizations- we can all always use more funding. I would like to see SCST develop more workshops or seed schools throughout the year. While it may not be geared toward financial capital, I think hosting a seed school on the west coast would provide valuable information capital. I would also like to see scholarships for folks willing to pursue ag education and help relieve the high cost of attending a college or university and give folks just entering the field (pun 100% intended) an easier start.

Q: What technologies or innovations have made the biggest difference on your farm? How do you stay informed about best practices, weather, markets, or new technologies?

I have been an ASA member to access their library, and also work closely with leadership in other seed organizations to share information and stay up to date on what is coming next for our industry. SCST has a new Advanced Technology committee which works to evaluate new technologies and determine their accuracy and usability in our field

Q: Describe a specific challenge you faced and how you overcame it. 

One of the aspects of my career in SCST that I am most proud of is reviving our society Newsletter. For eighty years AOSA and then SCST maintained a newsletter which served as a record of society activities, but also published research, rule proposals and ongoing discussions that have been referenced in seed labs decades later. Many labs still use drawings and references published in the Newsletters thirty or forty years previously as training material in their labs to this day.

When I was asked to chair the communications and publications committee the Newsletter had been defunct for almost a decade, and we now publish 2-3 issues a year, typically in the 30-60 page range and include updates on the annual meeting, completed research papers, research abstracts, AOSA Rule proposals, book reviews, articles from members, as well as updates from ASTA, AOSCA, ISTA, and other affiliate organizations. We are getting positive feedback from membership and eager contributors. We are currently on Volume 92 and I have agreed to stay on at least to see us through Volume 100. I am proud to have revived this important resource for communication and historical documentation of our society and ongoing research.

Reviving our Newsletter was a little bit like pushing a boulder at first. We had to overcome a decade of inertia, and had many analysts who had never seen a new copy of the Newsletter in their careers. We started slowly, with pulling together a book review, some meeting about the Annual Meeting, and a workshop overview. I worked closely with Elizabeth Stewart at USDA and between the two of us ended up writing almost all of the articles published. Our next issue included a little more content, and more updates from working groups, and some research conducted by the members. With each issue, we grow a little more and the membership becomes more invested and ready to contribute.

I also had to overcome some natural introversion and get used to emailing much larger organizations to ask for updates, or to ask them to connect me with someone who could provide updates for our newsletter. But this has also allowed me to make more personal connections within these larger organizations and encouraged me to grow in my profession. Scary, to cold-email strangers, but once you do it a few times it just becomes routine.

Q: Has your state department of agriculture helped you advance your operation? How?

When Universal Seed was seeking accreditation with NSHS (National Seed Health System) I put in a lot of phone calls to Elizabeth Savory at the Oregon Department of Agriculture to make sure that our test methods and reports of inspection met their standards and to implement wording to satisfy requirements for phytosanitary certification. I also have the pleasure of working with Susanna Pearlstein, also at ODA, as we renew our organic certification. She is always very timely at getting our final organic certificates to us, which is always appreciated during the busy harvest season.
I would also be remiss not to mention the team at USDA AMS. Since my first meeting, when I talked his ear off about punk rock and Buddhism, Ernest Allen has been an invaluable resource, pointing me to resources for seeds to build my herbarium, working alongside AOSA and SCST as we navigate some tricky waters facing a new merger, and now representing US agriculture as the President of ISTA. I have also worked closely with Lan Chi Trinh, also at USDA, as my Referee Committee co-chair as well as on the Rules committee. She has stepped into a number of new roles in the past six months and her hard work and dedication is so necessary and appreciated.