Women in Agriculture | Women in Farming Magazine

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<umbBlogPost id="76568" key="94356dc0-69de-43b4-9d3f-27c4e5eb6cfc" parentID="75559" level="5" creatorID="8" sortOrder="2" createDate="2019-04-09T14:46:26" updateDate="2019-04-09T14:46:58" nodeName="What You Do Today..." urlName="what-you-do-today" path="-1,1069,1057,75516,75559,76568" isDoc="" nodeType="1053" creatorName="NS" writerName="NS" writerID="8" template="1046" nodeTypeAlias="umbBlogPost" isPublished="true"><PostDate>2019-04-09T00:00:00</PostDate><blogHeadline>What You Do Today...</blogHeadline><bodyText>I have a quote on my website that I’m known for by my team and by people around me. “What you do today determines all of your tomorrows.” As you read that what comes to mind? I’ll tell you what I think about that quote and what I mean by it whenever I say it.
            I spent a lot of my younger years being a procrastinator. My folks tell stories of me doing things I shouldn’t have as a toddler and when I was told not to do those things, I would look at them and say, “Later I can”. I smile as I’m typing this because now that I’m a parent I can imagine the frustration they felt as I said this. “Later I can” became “I’ll do it later” as I grew older. I’d say this followed me along until right before I turned 40. This was about the time that my dear grandmother left this world. We were really close and losing her created a big hole in my heart. I watched her health decline and saw her go from a vibrant lady to someone I hardly recognized. What happened to her really struck me to the core. I felt lost for a while due to this, but eventually something became crystal clear to me. Time keeps on clicking by. In fact, the older I get the faster it seems to go. I know it’s not to just me who feels this way because I’ve had lots of folks agree with me on this subject. Do you?
            The realization of time slipping by hit me hard. One day I just woke up to the fact that “later” had to become “now”! As a parent and business owner, I understand the importance of “now”. Children grow up quickly. That time can’t be gotten back once it’s gone. Businesses are either successful or unsuccessful based on what you put into them. I realize businesses have a lot of other factors that go into them to be successful, but I’m not going into that here. In my experience, I was faced with a big decision when I began my business. Seize the moment or let it pass me by. I had to make some tough decisions. I had to choose laser-focus on my business over a lot of the fun things I used to enjoy. After my team won the 2015 Year End WRRA Championship at the World Finals I stepped down. I didn’t ranch rodeo for two years. I spent those two years building my business and helping my team. Looking back, it was the best thing I ever did. I’ll admit It wasn’t the easiest. Seeing my friends and former teammates having fun at ranch rodeos was tough, but I did what I had to do, and I don’t regret it.
            Essentially, I learned how to make the best decision for myself and my family in most everything based on how it would impact my goals. Doing what’s easiest isn’t always the best course of action. This is especially true for me. I find the more I challenge myself the better off I am. Some of my goals have been laughed at by others over the years, but it never really mattered to me. Truth be told that laughter drove me harder towards accomplishing all of the things I set out to do in the beginning. Through the years and experience I’ve also learned that you don’t get to Point A from Point B without a map of some kind. You have to have goals and you have to break those goals down into achievable mini-goals. You have to be willing to do whatever it takes to achieve these goals…NO MATTER WHAT! And perhaps the biggest piece of advice that I can give to anyone is this:  What You Do Today…Determines All Of Your Tomorrows! So…get going…you only have one life to life. I hope you make it the best one for yourself that you can! ~Cheyenne</bodyText><tags>featured</tags><closeComments>0</closeComments><introduction>“What you do today determines all of your tomorrows.” As you read that what comes to mind?</introduction><articleImage>76567</articleImage></umbBlogPost><umbBlogPost id="77567" key="1e19b9be-b25a-495e-a797-6383757d874c" parentID="75559" level="5" creatorID="8" sortOrder="3" createDate="2019-04-15T11:26:14" updateDate="2019-05-07T11:41:05" nodeName="Women who farm..." urlName="women-who-farm" path="-1,1069,1057,75516,75559,77567" isDoc="" nodeType="1053" creatorName="NS" writerName="NS" writerID="8" template="1046" nodeTypeAlias="umbBlogPost" isPublished="true"><PostDate>2019-04-15T00:00:00</PostDate><blogHeadline>Women who farm...</blogHeadline><bodyText>...and are Widowed. 
Over the last couple of weeks I have had the opportunity to connect with a couple of women about their experiences running a farm. These aren't just any female farmers, these are women who share one thing in common: they are widowed. 
It has been a journey looking back into their lives, the way it was before, and the way it is today. 
Much to be learned, much to be taught. Are you ever prepared? 
Farming takes teamwork, and as these two women reminded me, what made their farms work before their husbands passed away was the teamwork of the marriage. One was good at the books, one was good at the tractor maintenance. While the other tended the daily care of the animals, the other was plotting out the acreage that needed to be tilled. 
When you take one of those pieces of the equation away, things are unbalanced and lopsided. And as we all know, farming never stops...there is rarely a chance to catch your breath, and there comes the challenge. 
Karen Larson and her husband Glenn farmed 160 acres of soy and corn in Balaton, Minnesota. In 2016, Glenn passed away. 
Before Glenn's passing it was Karen who handled the administrative work for the farm, tax paperwork and bookkeeping. Glenn did most of the decision-making in regards to mechanics, ordering the seed and fertilizer and fixing things. 
Karen said that she didn't realize just how much he fixed and tinkered with things until she had to deal with it herself. 
At first she tried to do things on her own and learn for herself. But what she found was that it was too much. She felt overwhelmed. With the help of her three children who have encouraged her, Karen now calls for help and pays for the projects and incidental things that come up to get done. The kids have lovingly coined the phrase, "Call the man, Mom, just call the man." That is their way of reminding her to not get frustrated and try to do it herself, rather call someone for help. 
After three years Karen is slowly getting to a place where things are manageable. The first task that she had to accomplish was the cleaning out of all the barns and outbuildings. "Glenn had a lot of stuff everywhere, like many rural farmers, he had his hands in a lot of things." This was a task that she had not anticipated. 
Luckily the Larsons had done a lot of financial planning before Glenn's death, so the means were there for Karen to get help and to "Call the Man." This has been a hard thing to learn, for a team that has always so self-sufficient at caring for the property and tending the home and farm.
In addition to calling "the man," Karen has decided this year to lease out land to a neighboring farmer. After Glenn's death she had a neighboring farmer do the custom harvesting, but she has realized that for now, she doesn't want to worry about the harvest. 
The marketing of the grain was always something that she and Glenn did together - now that he is gone she has found that it doesn't bring her joy anymore. Karen is trying to find those things that now bring her joy - it's difficult, their lives were one. 
Karen said that each one of her children has a piece of Glenn in them. She relies on each child differently for those reasons and it makes her feel like through them, she finds her husband. 
Karen's daughter, Jessica, who lives on the east coast, stated how important the communication has been between the siblings and her mother. Despite the great distance that two of the children have from the farm in Minnesota, they are all still very involved in caring for their mother and helping her navigate things during this difficult time.
Karen's words of wisdom to other women revolve around estate planning. "Use a good lawyer to help you plan before there is a problem. The life insurance policy was critical." 
Beth Steeley, 58, lost her husband Lee in 2004, when she was just 43 years old. They farmed in the Chesapeake Bay area on a small scale. They raised harness horses. Her husband was the maintenance person and groundskeeper while she was the daily caregiver to the horses. 
Beth always leaned towards animal care, and worked at a non-profit animal shelter before she met her husband. Her roots were from much larger agriculture in Texas. 
The Steeleys had a lead time before Beth's husband Lee passed. They were able to talk through a lot of things. Lee's biggest concern for Beth was that she wouldn't be able to keep up the golf course-look that he maintained. 
Beth was upfront with her husband and told him that she would be taking the farm in a different direction, utilizing the farm to help her church's "Worship Without Walls" program. Today, while Beth works toward the formation of a non-profit organization, she is teaching young people that they can farm on a much smaller scale through vertical and urban farming programs. 
After all these years she is just now breaking even. Things are taking a turn for the better, and Beth believes she is in her season. 
At times after Lee's death, Beth felt that she had to go against what those around her told her she should do. Even though she knew they had her best interest at heart, she felt it was her responsibility to keep the farm for the next generation, her daughter. She just had to figure out what her calling was to do with it. 
Beth said, "I believe that all these things happen for a reason, to get us to the place (calling) where we need to be to teach the mission we were meant to teach." Through her vision for the non-profit's approach to farming education, she feels she has found it. 
Today, Beth has chickens, honey bees, and horses for logging. She has greenhouses and uses hydroponics for seed starts. She sells locally, right on the farm. 
And one thing that Beth is very proud of is that she now has a pink John Deere tractor. Once Lee passed away she had different equipment needs to run her farm for small scale production. She needed to trade in their large equipment for smaller models. She saw an article that John Deere had different color options for tractors. One was pink, for breast cancer awareness. Beth decided that pink was the color for her new tractor and went on a mission to get it. 
After many phone calls, and requests, conferences, and persistence, 2.5 years later she now has her pink tractor, made possible by Atlantic Tractor in Queen Anne, Maryland. 
Beth's words of wisdom are, "If you want to keep the farm, let your faith show you the way. It will happen, go by your heart rather than your head." 
Each of the women that I spoke with, in her own way, wanted to make sure for me to share how important it is to get the finances figured out before the throes of grief come at you. 
Prepare and plan with a team how you want things to proceed in the event of a death or disability. 
For the sake of your children, your parents, nephews, nieces, in-lawes, friends, and MOST importantly for the sake of YOU. You owe it to yourself. 
If this article can be the impetus for just one you to go get the plan done, or to start this difficult conversation, then I will have accomplished the mission and the reason for giving you a glimpse inside these two women's lives. 
Never take for granted the special partnership that a husband and wife farming team have. It truly is magical and challenging all at the same time. There are good days and bad days...and it takes two for balance, through all of it. 
Appreciate each other and all that you do for your marriage and your business. You never know when the partnership might be taken away. 
Take care, and stay will...and plan. 
With love and thought, 
Kate. </bodyText><tags>field</tags><closeComments>0</closeComments><introduction>These aren't just any female farmers, these are women who share one thing in common: they are widowed. </introduction><articleImage>77568</articleImage></umbBlogPost><umbBlogPost id="75562" key="13b4ba6b-516b-42c9-859c-bf75f119d85d" parentID="75516" level="4" creatorID="8" sortOrder="4" createDate="2019-03-20T15:39:06" updateDate="2019-03-22T15:24:23" nodeName="Spring 2019 Updates" urlName="spring-2019-updates" path="-1,1069,1057,75516,75562" isDoc="" nodeType="1053" creatorName="NS" writerName="NS" writerID="8" template="1046" nodeTypeAlias="umbBlogPost" isPublished="true"><PostDate>2019-03-22T00:00:00</PostDate><blogHeadline>Spring 2019 Updates</blogHeadline><bodyText>Spring 2019
Dear Pink Tractor Fans:
 
We have some exciting news! We have been working on some updates for 2019 and want you to stay up-to-date on the big changes being made – Pink Tractor is now going digital!
We’re no longer offering a hard copy of our magazine. For 2019, we will be moving into a digital edition for at least the next few issues. You can now take Pink Tractor with you ANYWHERE you go…on your cell phone, tablet, iPad, desktop and more!
Please continue to stay informed of new article releases and blog posts on our website, PinkTractor.com.
Once we determine our new setup and look of Pink Tractor, our plans are to seek advertisers and return to print. Please fill out our “<a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PTractorweb">Rejuvenate Survey</a>” to let us know what you would like to see in the next issues of Pink Tractor.
If you have any questions, you can contact our Co-editors: Jill Howard, 502.222.0146 extension 8698 or Carol Hughey, 502.222.0146 extension 8699 for specific information.
 
Thank you for your ongoing support!
Be safe, be healthy, be happy, SHINE ON!
 
<img style="width: 274px; height: 233px; float: left;" src="/media/316199/logo.jpg?width=274&amp;height=233" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/1a6dbf875d3345668fadc8b401ae6665" />
<img style="width: 0px; height:0px;" src="/media/316199/logo.jpg?width=0&amp;height=0" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/1a6dbf875d3345668fadc8b401ae6665" /><img style="width: 0px; height:0px;" src="/media/316199/logo.jpg?width=0&amp;height=0" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/1a6dbf875d3345668fadc8b401ae6665" /></bodyText><tags>fun</tags><closeComments>0</closeComments><introduction>We are working on some updates for 2019 and want you to stay up-to-date on some big changes being made.</introduction><articleImage>75565</articleImage></umbBlogPost><umbBlogPost id="77570" key="6668d9de-4270-4a2f-aab5-dbca48f6af5d" parentID="77569" level="5" creatorID="8" sortOrder="0" createDate="2019-04-30T16:56:45" updateDate="2019-05-08T15:36:42" nodeName="Emily Schmitt, general counsel for Iowa-based, Sukup shares how "Sukup is here to make an impact on the world!"" urlName="emily-schmitt-general-counsel-for-iowa-based-sukup-shares-how-sukup-is-here-to-make-an-impact-on-the-world" path="-1,1069,1057,75516,77569,77570" isDoc="" nodeType="1053" creatorName="NS" writerName="NS" writerID="8" template="1046" nodeTypeAlias="umbBlogPost" isPublished="true"><PostDate>2019-05-01T00:00:00</PostDate><blogHeadline>Emily Schmitt, general counsel for Iowa-based, Sukup shares how "Sukup is here to make an impact on the world!"</blogHeadline><bodyText>By: Brent Adams
Emily Schmitt, general counsel for Sheffield, Iowa-based Sukup and the daughter of Sukup CFO Steve Sukup and granddaughter of company founders Eugene and Mark Sukup, joined the family business after graduating from law school. 
For 55 years, Sukup Manufacturing Corp. grain bins have been trusted by farmers across the United States to keep their grain stored and protected from the elements. 
Over the past few years, bins similar to those that provide shelter for precious commodities also have become makeshift transitional shelters for homeless and displaced residents of developing nations worldwide. 
The hurricane-proof structures fashioned from modified grain bins are also earthquake, fire, termite and machete-proof, and have an estimated life span of 75 years. 
The effort was launched in 2010 when Sukup's safety director, who for years pondered ways to build a home out of a grain bin, pitched the idea to Sukup officials. The decision was made to embark on the project, and Sukup partnered with GoServ Global to bring relief to families in Haiti who lost their homes in the devastating earthquake that rocked the impoverished nation. 
Today, there are more than 350 Safe T Homes standing in Haiti, Peru, where GoServ Global recently has provided housing in the Hidden Creeks Bible Camp and in a refugee camp in Uganda. 
Emily has become passionate about the Safe T Homes project, and last summer had the chance to construct her first Safe T Home on a mission trip to Haiti. She blogged about her life-changing experience on the company's website. She was joined on the trip by her husband, Andy, representatives of GoServe and former NFL and Iowa State University quarterback Sage Rosenfiels, who has become a proponent of the Safe T Homes initiative. 
"Sukup is here to make an impact on the world, not just sell products," Schmitt said. 
In her initial blog post she recalls flying over a site in Haiti where 70 Safe T Homes are installed. 
"I will never forget looking out the window to see a landscape of Safe T Homes for the first time," she wrote. "I was amazed at the sight."
The trip came just two weeks after the death of Eugene Sukup. In the blog post, she shared poignant memories of her grandfather. 
"Reflecting on grandpa's legacy is the ideal way to begin this trip, knowing the Safe T Home would not be possible, but for that original tinkering farmer," Schmitt wrote. 
Homes offer safety, security. 
Each home measures 18 feet in diameter, has 254 square feet of usable space and can sleep 10 or more. An interior loft adds 50 percent more square footage to the home and can hold up to 1,200 pounds evenly distributed. 
A double-roofed system displaces heat, making the structures much cooler than the grain bins found on farms. 
"That's one of the first questions we get from farmers because they typically think of the grain bins as being hot," Schmitt said, adding that the double-roof systems can decrease the internal temperature of the structure on average by about 10 degrees fahrenheit. 
The structures are anchored to the ground using ballast boxes filled with brick, gravel, rock, dirt or other heavy materials. They also can be anchored to concrete slabs or secured to the ground using soil penetrating anchors. 
The homes withstood their first major challenge in 2016, when 200 that had been installed in Les Cayas, Haiti, survived the Category 4 impact of Hurricane Matthew with minimal damage, while only 10 percent of the traditional housing in the surrounding area survived. 
Safe T Homes are more than just a steel edifice. They also include a rain water collection system that provides clean drinking water, and solar panels can be mounted to the roof to provide solar energy. 
Because safety and security are important issues in developing nations, each structure features a full-size, lockable steel door. Windows have lockable exterior doors with 16-gauge perforated steel interior screens that allow ventilation while providing security. 
Each Safe T Home kit includes basic hand tools, which a crew can use to build a home in one day. Because of the ease of assembly, Sukup officials believe the structures also are suitable for makeshift medical and dental clinics and birthing centers. 
"It takes only six hours to build one with hand tools," Schmitt said. "If I can do that, anybody could build that in a day." 
Schmitt said Sukup has plans to bring more Safe T Homes to refugee camps around the world in the years to come. 
"What we're hearing is that they want the help, and if they can't come to the U.S., we want to go to them," Schmitt said. 
There might also be opportunities to set up the structures as transitional shelters in America in the wake of natural disasters. 
"Instead of makeshift trailers, you could use these because you could transport 10 Safe T Homes inside of one trailer, so you could have had 11 homes," Schmitt said. 
To learn more about Sukup Manufacturing Corp.'s Safe T Home, including information on becoming involved in the Safe T Home effort or providing a safe shelter to those in need, visit www.safethome.com. </bodyText><tags>featured</tags><closeComments>0</closeComments><introduction>For 55 years, Sukup Manufacturing Corp. grain bins have been trusted by farmers across the United States. </introduction><articleImage>77574</articleImage></umbBlogPost><umbBlogPost id="77572" key="7e5e926a-942f-4563-83da-a45f37567c9f" parentID="77569" level="5" creatorID="8" sortOrder="1" createDate="2019-04-30T17:09:40" updateDate="2019-04-30T17:09:40" nodeName="Adapt in a Snap...Understanding Your Change Style to Enhance Team Effectiveness" urlName="adapt-in-a-snapunderstanding-your-change-style-to-enhance-team-effectiveness" path="-1,1069,1057,75516,77569,77572" isDoc="" nodeType="1053" creatorName="NS" writerName="NS" writerID="8" template="1046" nodeTypeAlias="umbBlogPost" isPublished="true"><PostDate>2019-04-30T00:00:00</PostDate><blogHeadline>Adapt in a Snap...Understanding Your Change Style to Enhance Team Effectiveness </blogHeadline><bodyText>By: Lauren L. Griffeth, Ph.D.
 
“Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.” – Robert Gallagher
 
The only constant is that everything in the world we live in is always changing. Is there an App for that? Well, based on the data there might be. Each day 1,434 of new iOS apps are released totaling over half a million per year. At work this year, we have Generation Y (born after 2000) beginning to enter the workforce in small numbers, and Traditionalist (born before 1946) making their final exits from their careers and leaving us with five generations at work. Protective parenting has taken the approach from a hovering “helicopter” Mom to a forceful “lawnmower” parent challenging others who perceiving get in the way of their children’s success at school. Farmers are coping with dramatic effects of natural disasters such as Hurricane Michael that ravaged the crops of the Southeast U.S. this year, causing many producers to simply have to start over with their production operation after such a devastating loss.
 
Researchers have determined that there are three main change styles of how people prefer to cope with change. “Conservers, Pragmatists, and Originators” are the names given to these styles that allow us to identify with the like themes.
 
Conservers tend to feel most comfortable when change is slow and planned.
Pragmatists enjoy incremental change that improves processes and systems.
Originators are often the early adopters of change or may lead the change process.
 
When we think about our own personal preferences as it relates to change, our preferred mode of how we approach change can influence how well or not we adapt to our environment. For example, people who prefer a Conserver approach may enjoy the established system at work. People who employ this type of change style miss an opportunity to adapt quickly because of the discomfort that this type often feels when going through with change. On the flip side, those who exhibit an Originator style might embrace change or change so often that it puts their team in stress mode trying to quickly adapt to the latest and greatest change that is occurring. People with the Originator style can be viewed as controversial or rouge if they step outside of the box to quickly without the approvals of their superiors.
 
The Pragmatist style is a practical blend of Conserver and Originator with the individual enjoying the routine but embracing change when it is proven to be beneficial in other systems. This approach uses dialogue to figure out how to enact change with all those involve. They can often bridge the gap in communication between the conservers and the originator styles.
 
Do you understand your change style? In order to get to know where you might fall on the spectrum from Conserver to Originator, ask yourself how you feel when you are facing a change at work or at home? Are you more comfortable in established routines or do you enjoy the spontaneity and adrenaline rush that comes from doing something for the first time? Maybe you are somewhere in between? Do you find that you are a bridge between the folks who are uncomfortable with the change and the change itself? Noticing how you tend to act when you are faced with a change challenge can help you identify areas of growth and create a more change ready environment for your team at work and at home.</bodyText><closeComments>0</closeComments><introduction>“Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.” – Robert Gallagher</introduction><articleImage>77571</articleImage></umbBlogPost>

Adapt in a Snap...Understanding Your Change Style to Enhance Team Effectiveness

“Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.” – Robert Gallagher

Emily Schmitt, general counsel for Iowa-based, Sukup shares how "Sukup is here to make an impact on the world!"

For 55 years, Sukup Manufacturing Corp. grain bins have been trusted by farmers across the United States.

Women who farm...

These aren't just any female farmers, these are women who share one thing in common: they are widowed.

What You Do Today...

“What you do today determines all of your tomorrows.” As you read that what comes to mind?

Spring 2019 Updates

We are working on some updates for 2019 and want you to stay up-to-date on some big changes being made.

Featured Articles

Emily Schmitt, general counsel for Iowa-based, Sukup shares how "Sukup is here to make an impact on the world!"

For 55 years, Sukup Manufacturing Corp. grain bins have been trusted by farmers across the United States.

What You Do Today...

“What you do today determines all of your tomorrows.” As you read that what comes to mind?

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