Women Driving Change, Innovation & Stewardship in Agriculture
Feature
Kristina and Jason Walker
Built with Resilience
Women Driving Change, Innovation & Stewardship in Agriculture
“ Toughness doesn’ t have to come in a pinstripe suit.”— Dianne Feinstein
By Maggie MacHale
Women play a critical role in farming and ranching operations across the country. According to a 2022 census of agriculture from the United States Department of Agriculture( USDA) and the National Agricultural Statistics Service( NASS), there are 1.2 million female producers in the U. S., making up 36 % of the country’ s 3.4 million producers.
Of that 1.2 million, each has their own unique experience, depicting stories of grit, resilience and leadership.
Some have been embedded in agriculture since childhood, others, through curiosity and sheer determination, have found themselves in the industry later in life. Yet each woman has done the work to get them where they are now and built on the industry’ s history of growth, production and stewardship.
We’ ve collected just a handful of narratives from the many inspiring women in the field and asked them to reflect on their history, the obstacles they’ ve faced along the way and what they see for the future of our industry.
Kristina Walker
Kristina Walker, operator of StarWalker Organic Farms, a third-generation regenerative organic livestock operation out of
Northern California, didn’ t grow up in agriculture.“ My husband Jason and I were high school sweethearts, and while his family had been farming for generations, I never imagined I would one day help expand that legacy,” Walker reflected.
In 2020, Walker launched the organization’ s direct-toconsumer platform, where demand confirmed they were meeting a real need from customers. In 2024, the organization acquired a USDA facility to transform the operation into a vertically integrated system.
StarWalker Organic Farms integrates land stewardship, livestock production, processing infrastructure and branded distribution. Walker’ s husband manages the agricultural production side and Walker herself serves as CEO, but they collaborate on major decisions to balance practical field knowledge with
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