Continuing the celebration of women in agriculture
Thoughtfully overlapping Women’s History Month and National Agriculture Week is National Women in Agriculture Day on March 21. U.S. Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Tina Smith (D-Minnesota) led a bipartisan group, including every female senator, in highlighting the roles women play in agriculture with this new national day of recognition.
“Women have always played an essential role in farming,” Smith said in a 2024 press release. “I’m proud to support this bipartisan effort to set aside a day during Women’s History Month and National Agriculture Week where we step back and recognize the women who have been central to our agricultural achievements and success.”
“I’m honored to recognize the more than 1.2 million female farmers and producers in the U.S. that are essential to feeding and fueling our world,” said Ernst, who serves on the Senate Agriculture Committee, in the release. “Women who are producers, educators, advocates and mentors lead the way in the field today and foster the next generation of agriculturalists for tomorrow.”
GPN recognizes that there are many women in horticulture who keep our industry strong with their knowledge and innovations, and we thank you!
During this time of celebration, I’d like to highlight GPN’s Forty Under 40 program that honors 40 individuals every year for the strength and knowledge they bring to our industry. These four women are small business owners and recent Forty Under 40 honorees who are moving horticulture/agriculture forward by meeting challenges today.
Michelle Klieger
President of Stratagerm Consulting, michelle@stratagerm.com
Six years ago, Michelle Klieger started Stratagerm Consulting as a way to use her economic training to develop cross-ag solutions for problems she recognized in the agriculture sector at large. There’s not a one-size-fits-all approach to any facet of agriculture, and she knows how to get people thinking outside of existing systems to move forward.
Michelle can’t live without her library card and can often be found reading in her spare time, if she’s not enjoying the outdoors, gardening or playing with her kids.
Della Fetzer
Founder of Rebel Cultures, della@rebelcultures.com
Della Fetzer believes entire plant production supply chains must become local again, which is why she started her tissue culture business Rebel Cultures. Now, she is in the process of creating a first-of-its-kind plant replication system to help solve this challenge without needing hyper-clean labs.
Away from the lab, Della loves to read, is a lifelong swimmer and has managed to find time to learn vocational Spanish and Mandarin Chinese.
Kelsey Harlan
CEO of The Pinery, kelsey@pinerytree.com
The Pinery is a familyowned business, but Kelsey Harlan did not start her horticulture career there after college. Instead, she ventured out to experience other industries, leaders and businesses before finding her way back. Today, she is most proud of the culture she has cultivated at The Pinery and the team’s ability to remain flexible in any circumstance.
Kelsey loves adventure and favors hiking/backpacking to stay outdoors. But that doesn’t mean she won’t happily dive into a DIY house project.
Hannah Brookfield
Founder of BotaniGal, botanigal@yahoo.com
Hannah Brookfield started a retail houseplant and horticulture therapy business after spending nine years managing a greenhouse. She’s a certified professional horticulturist with the American Society for Horticulture Science and a certified horticulture therapist.
Hannah’s love of houseplants shines through in her personal collection of over 200 plants. When she’s not tending to plants, you can find her horseback riding or beekeeping.
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