Feature the long-term vision.
“ My work centers on connecting the land to the marketplace— ensuring what we grow reaches families while supporting the broader agricultural community,” added Walker.
Throughout the years, Walker reflects that scaling infrastructure and securing capital have been some of the greatest challenges for the organization, requiring persistence and continuous learning.
“ Challenges are inevitable in agriculture,” said Walker.“ My guiding mindset has been: Only she who attempts the absurd can achieve the impossible.”
For Walker, being a woman in the industry,“ represents perspective, resilience and balance.” She believes that ag benefits when it includes diverse perspectives.
“ Agriculture today is multifaceted,” she continued.“ It requires technical knowledge, strategic thinking, adaptability and leadership. Women are bringing these skills to the table in meaningful ways, helping modernize operations, strengthen communities and expand how agriculture connects to health, environment and consumer awareness.”
Janel Ohletz
Dr. Janel Ohletz grew up on a subsistence farm in New
Hampshire, and through bitter winters milking cows by hand, she learned the value of hard work, creative problem solving and team work. Today, she has published her own book,“ Between Farm and Fork: Journey to Find a True Path”, an MS in agriculture science, a PhD in soil science and is the director of agriculture operations for Pantd, a startup making carbonnegative building materials from perennial grass.
Ohletz reflects that her proudest achievement is teaching regenerative farming and sustainable agriculture practices to farmers through various conversations.
“ When we build soil health, we build resiliency back into the farm,” stated Ohletz.“ As our climate disruptions become more certain, it is vital for our food and fiber supply to ensure our farmers can still produce what we need in our everyday lives.” Though Dr. Ohletz has seen plenty of opportunities for women in the industry in her career, she expresses that she would like to see more on larger farms and in leadership positions, and that there is still room for improvement.
“ I want to end the stereotype that women are worried about breaking a nail and messing up their makeup, but that does not mean we give up on caring about our appearance altogether,” she added.“ We can do both.”
Ohletz also advises women joining the industry to invite themselves into the conversation.
“ There is space for you at the table, even if you do not see a seat there... The agriculture industry is vast, and there are so many job opportunities out there, and most don’ t involve driving around in a tractor all day,” she said.
Victoria Fields
Starting with container gardening on a North Carolina condo patio, Victoria Fields is now a Penn State master gardener operating on stewarded land in Northeast Pennsylvania, originally cared for by the Lenape tribe.
“ I don’ t take that lightly,” Fields reflected.“ I’ m grateful for a small plot right now while operations scale. Agriculture for me isn’ t about size, it’ s about stewardship, intention and building something sustainable from the ground up for my family and community.”
Her production space these days focuses on specialty crops, soil regeneration and education, where Fields handles crop planning, soil testing, compost management, pest control strategy and seasonal forecasting.
“ I’ m in the dirt and in the data,” she added.
“ I started as a woman curious about growing tomatoes and collard greens, okra on a patio,” Fields recalled.“ I evolved into a woman studying microbiology, regenerative practices and production systems. It shifted from hobby to discipline. From discipline to leadership.”
To her, agriculture means ownership: ownership of knowledge, land stewardship and of space in rooms that weren’ t always designed for her.
“ As a first-generation black woman in agriculture, I don’ t have inherited acreage,” she said.“ I’ m building from scratch. That takes grit. It also takes vision. Being a woman in this space means I lead with both science and intuition.”
In her time in the industry, Fields has also seen more opportunities for women.
“ There are more educational pathways, grant access and visibility than ever before,” she explains.“ Women are not just supporting agriculture, we’ re leading it. From regenerative farming to ag tech to land stewardship policy, women are present and powerful.”
“ Agriculture doesn’ t care about gender,” Fields continued.“ It responds to stewardship. And women are exceptional stewards.”
March 2026 | www. FarmersHotLine. com | 9