Source: NCDA&CS, 3/23/21


March is celebrated as National Women’s Month, a time to recognize the many accomplishments of women. There’s a common misconception that agriculture is a male-driven field. In North Carolina, there’s many trail-blazing women that are not only making their impact felt at the farm level, but also on National Agricultural Boards, leading as ag researchers and professors at our universities and companies and as owners of slaughterhouses, processing plants and other ag-related business.

The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services also benefits from the knowledge and leadership of nine female division directors. These women have a cumulative 170 years of experience in agriculture and supervise a combined total of 565 employees. Their divisions include Agricultural Statistics, Agronomic Services, Budget and Finance, Food and Drug Protection, Human Resources, Legal Affairs, Meat and Poultry Inspection, Public Affairs and Research Stations. Below, our female leaders tell us about their jobs, role models and advice for the women that may come behind them.

For more of this story, click here.