TO COME OUT WHEN YOU COME AND
CHECK OUT THE FARM PROGRESS SHOW
WEDNESDAY OR THURSDAY.
Tim: WELL, IT'S CALLED THE
FARM PROGRESS SHOW FOR A REASON.
AND IN FEW ARENAS HAVE WE SEEN
MORE PROGRESS IN RECENT YEARS
THAN THE INVOLVEMENT OF WOMEN IN
AGRICULTURE.
WE SET UP PANELS YESTERDAY AND
TODAY TO TALK MORE ABOUT THAT.
TODAY, WE HAVE LAUREN, AN
ATTORNEY.
AND SOMETHING -- YOU HAVE A LONG
TITLE.
I'M GOING TO READ IT.
DIRECTOR OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
FOR THE ILLINOIS FARM BUREAU.
JENNIFER, DIRECTOR OF THE
ILLINOIS PORK PRODUCERS.
WELCOME.
Guest: THANK YOU.
Tim: I FOUND IT INTERESTING,
YOU WERE BOTH TELLING ME YOUR
BACKGROUNDS AREN'T NECESSARILY
IN AGRICULTURE UNTIL YOU ENDED
UP IN YOUR CURRENT POSITION.
LAUREN, TELL ME WHAT YOUR
BACKGROUND IS AND WHAT YOU'RE
DOING NOW.
Guest: I WAS RAISED IN
MARION IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS.
SO MY DAD WAS A PRISON GUARD.
I WAS AN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
GEOLOGY MAJOR AT ST. LOUIS AND
WENT TO LAW SCHOOL IN
CARBONDALE.
I SPENT SEVEN YEARS IN PRIVATE
PRACTICE, ON THE DEFENSE SIDE
DOING ENVIRONMENTAL LEGAL WORK.
AND FARM BUREAU DOING POLICY
WORK ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
FOR 6.5 YEARS.
SO I WORK FOR FARMERS ACROSS THE
STATE AND COUNTY FARM BUREAUS.
Tim: WHAT LED YOU TO MAKE
THAT TRANSITION?
WHERE DID THE INTEREST COME?
FROM THE JOB BECAUSE THERE WAS
AN OPPORTUNITY?
OR WAS THERE AN AGRICULTURAL
INTEREST FOR YOU AND YOU FOUND
SOMETHING THAT FIT?
Guest: MY TRUE INTEREST IS
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY, WHETHER
IT'S INDIVIDUAL CLIENTS OR
AGRICULTURE IN GENERAL.
I ALWAYS WANTED TO DO
WATER-RELATED ISSUES.
IT TURNS OUT AGRICULTURE HAS
QUITE A FEW ISSUES WITH REGARD
TO WATER.
I JOKE THAT WORKING FOR FARM
BUREAU ON ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
IS MORE FUN THAN BEING A REAL
LAWYER.
AND THAT IS TRUE.
Tim: JENNIFER, HOW DID YOU
MAKE THAT TRANSITION FROM WHERE
YOU STARTED TO WHERE YOU ARE
NOW?
Guest: I GREW UP IN SOUTHERN
ILLINOIS.
I WENT TO SCHOOL AT EASTERN
ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY, WHERE I GOT
A POLITICAL SCIENCE DEGREE.
I STARTED IN THE POLITICAL
REALM, WORKING ON CAMPAIGNS AND
HELPING STATE LEGISLATORS.
THEN, KIND OF MADE A TURN AND
STARTED WORKING FOR THE
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.
AND THIS JOB WITH THE ILLINOIS
PORK PRODUCERS AROSE.
I HAD NEVER BEEN ON A HOG FARM.
AS PART OF MY INTERVIEW PROCESS,
THEY HAD ME TOUR A HOG FARM TO
MAKE SURE I WAS COMFORTABLE WITH
THE WAY THEY RAISE THEIR ANIMALS
AND I WOULD BE ABLE TO ADVOCATE
FOR THEIR PRACTICES.
THAT'S FIVE YEARS AGO.
I COULDN'T ASK FOR A BETTER
FAMILY.
I LOVE WORKING FOR PORK
PRODUCERS AND REPRESENTING THEIR
NEEDS AND ISSUES.
Tim: LAUREN, TALK TO ME
ABOUT THE WAYS YOU'VE SEEN WOMEN
ASSUME A BIGGER ROLE IN
AGRICULTURE.
I DON'T HAVE STATISTICS WHEN AND
HOW THAT'S HAPPENED.
BUT IT'S DEFINITELY HAPPENED.
FROM THE WOMEN WE TALKED TO
YESTERDAY AND YOU GUYS TODAY.
WHAT DO YOU SEE IS THE REASON
BEHIND THAT?
Guest: RIGHT.
I WOULD SAY WHEN I LOOK AT OUR
ORGANIZATION, WE HAVE COUNTY
FARM BUREAUS IN ALMOST EVERY
COUNTY.
I WOULD SAY THE MAJORITY OF
THOSE ARE YOUNGER WOMEN, WHICH I
THINK IS FANTASTIC.
AND FRANKLY, AS AN OUTSIDER
COMING INTO AGRICULTURE AND FARM
BUREAU, I WAS AMAZED HOW MANY
WOMEN ARE ON STAFF IN OUR STATE
OFFICE AND ACROSS THE STATE.
ONE THING THAT WE ALWAYS HAVE A
PRETTY MALE-DOMINATED
MEMBERSHIP.
IN ALL OF THE MEETINGS WE WOULD
HAVE WOULD HAVE A LOT OF MEN.
MY BOARD WOULD BE COMPROMISED OF
ALL MEN.
AND NOW WE HAVE TWO WOMEN ON OUR
STATE BOARD.
AND ALL THE MEETINGS WE HAVE --
GRANTED MAYBE IT'S THE TOPIC,
POLLINATORS AND WATER QUALITY
THAT DRIVE WOMEN OUT.
BUT WE HAVE FAR MORE WOMEN
MEMBERS IN OUR AUDIENCES ON
THESE TOPICS AS WELL AS.
Tim: JENNIFER, DO YOU SEE
THAT AS A WILLINGNESS FOR PEOPLE
TO ACCEPT WOMEN IN THESE ROLES?
OR MORE OF AN INTEREST IN WOMEN
HAVING THESE ROLES?
OR COMBINATION OF BOTH?
Guest: I THINK IT'S A
WILLINGNESS TO ACCEPT.
I'M THE FIRST EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
FOR THE PORK PRODUCERS AS A
FEMALE.
IT OPENS UP DOORS TO OUR GENERAL
AUDIENCE AND GENERAL MEMBERSHIP
TO MEET NEW PEOPLE.
AND GET INTO NEW AVENUES.
A LOT OUR CONSUMERS WE WANT TO
PROMOTE OUR PRODUCT TO, WOMEN
SHOP AT THE GROCERY STORE.
WOMEN ARE DECISION-MAKERS.
SO IT HELPS WHEN WE ARE
SUPPORTING OUR PRODUCERS AND
WORKING WITH THE FEMALE ASPECT,
SO WE GET A BETTER INSIGHT TO
BOTH SIDES OF THE SPECTRUM.
Tim: WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE
THIS DISCUSSION WITH THESE
LADIES HERE IN JUST A LITTLE
BIT.
HERE ON "ciLIVING."
BUT FIRST, ERIN IS WANDERING
SOMEWHERE.
ERIN.
Erin: COMING UP, TIM IS