All in a Day’s Work

Morning light breaks over the pens as Katie Day swings into the saddle, settling in for another day of work. By the time most people are starting their morning, Day has already checked cattle, moved stock and handled whatever the morning demanded. She has no single job description, only the expectation to get the work done.

Day’s role spans nearly every part of the operation. She manages marketing and sales for the business, handles photography, social media and customer communication, while also working cattle, checking pastures and assisting with breeding and calving. She said no two days look the same, with responsibilities ranging from routine tasks to unexpected challenges that require immediate attention.

For Day, that is just part of the job. But for those outside the industry, it challenges a much simpler picture of what agriculture looks like and who is doing the work.

Across the industry, Day’s experience is not unique. Women are deeply involved in the daily work of agriculture, balancing hands-on responsibilities with business decisions, family life and community roles. Their work is constant, often behind the scenes and rarely confined to a single title.

In 2026, that work is receiving broader recognition as the International Year of the Woman Farmer, a designation by the United Nations highlighting the contributions of women across agriculture worldwide. Universities, commodity groups and agricultural organizations across the world are using it as an opportunity to share stories, host events and bring more visibility to women working in the industry.

In the United States, organizations across the industry are contributing to that effort by expanding leadership opportunities, supporting educational programs and creating platforms that connect producers with consumers. Globally, the initiative also brings attention to the role women play in food security, particularly in developing countries where women make up a significant portion of the agricultural workforce but often have less access to resources such as land, financing and education.

For many in the industry, that recognition is long overdue.

“These are farmers that probably have not received the spotlight or the applause,” said Norma Ritz Johnson, executive director of the United Sorghum Checkoff Program and a 1990 agricultural communications graduate of the Davis College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. “Women have been farming a long time, and the fact that they’re being recognized now, it’s high time.”

Ritz Johnson’s role centers on leading the organization and ensuring its work serves producers. She oversees the checkoff’s strategic direction, manages a team of industry professionals and ensures producer dollars are invested responsibly and in compliance with federal regulations. She said her focus is on supporting the team and removing barriers so they can successfully carry out the organization’s mission.

Ritz Johnson’s role is one example of a larger trend, one that is also shown in the numbers.  

Growth In Numbers

Nationally, the shift toward greater female representation in agricultural programs has become more visible over time. In 2004, men outnumbered women in agricultural undergraduate programs by more than 1,400 students, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. By 2011, women exceeded men in agricultural programs by more than 2,900 students, representing a steady increase in female enrollment.

Within the Davis College, that trend is evident. The women connected to the Davis College as students, alumni and industry professionals reflect the same range of roles and responsibilities shaping agriculture today.

That growth is especially striking when compared to earlier enrollment trends at Texas Tech. In 1925, agricultural programs enrolled 60 male students and no women, according to the Texas Tech University Fact Book. By 1929, enrollment had increased to 164 students, but only two were women, underscoring how limited women’s presence once was.

Today, that landscape looks quite different. In the spring of 2026, Davis College was comprised of 61.3% female undergraduate students and 58.9% female graduate students.

Similar trends are also occurring at other universities, including Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Kansas State, where female enrollment in agricultural programs has continued to grow in recent years.

Those numbers are reflected in the experiences of women across the industry.

Kristen Brown is a 2011 agricultural communications graduate of the Davis College and owns her own communications business. She remembers being invited to a women’s group many years ago and admiring the strong women who demonstrated leadership for women in agriculture.

“Women are so much more well-respected now as being the decision makers and not just the companion, not just the helper of the man,” Brown said.

Brown works remotely from her family’s ranch, balancing communications work with raising and homeschooling her children. Much of her day is spent managing her professional responsibilities while also being involved in ranch life, from supporting operations alongside her husband to raising the next generation in an agricultural environment.

The Work People Don't Always See

Emily McCartney Eiguren earned her bachelor’s in agricultural communications in 2017. The western lifestyle photographer and owner of Roadrunner Gallery, said much of women’s work in agriculture is often overlooked, not because it lacks importance, but because it does not always match the way people expect the job to look.

“I think it’s important to not overlook the jobs that sometimes fall to the women because they don’t seem as important or they don’t seem like the stereotypical farm or ranch job, but they’re actually key parts to keeping the whole process going,” Eiguren said.

That perspective illustrates a broader reality about women’s roles in agriculture.

Eiguren is a sixth-generation member of the R.A. Brown Ranch in Throckmorton, Texas, where agriculture has been passed down through generations. She said that legacy includes strong women who have played a central role in the operation, even if their work has not always been recognized in the same way.

That influence continues to shape how she approaches both her work and her family. Now raising the seventh generation, Eiguren said she is intentional about the example she sets for her daughter, drawing from the resilience and work ethic of the women who came before her.

“Women have been very predominant in agriculture since the beginning,” Eiguren said. “It just looks different today.”

Today, Eiguren balances her work as a photographer with her connection to ranch life, even as her day-to-day role has evolved. She focuses on commercial, editorial and ranch lifestyle photography while staying involved in her family’s ranch in Texas and her husband’s ranch in Oregon. In this season of life, much of her focus is on motherhood, but she still helps where she can, attends brandings and raises her daughter around livestock, keeping her ties to agriculture part of her daily life.

"It's really inspiring to me how many women work on the farm, and aren't just farm spouses or farm wives, but they are a decision maker."

Decision Makers

For many women in agriculture, roles have expanded beyond traditional expectations.

Christi Short got her bachelor’s degree in agricultural communications, animal science and equine assisted therapy in 2011 and her master’s in agricultural communications in 2015. Short was also a former masked rider. She now serves as the Southwest regional communications manager for the Cotton Board, which is responsible for administering the national cotton research and promotion program. She said one of the most encouraging changes she has seen is the shift of women’s involvement on the farm.

“It’s really inspiring to me how many women work on the farm, and aren’t just farm spouses or farm wives, but they are a decision maker,” Short said.

Short balances her Cotton Board role with her involvement in her family’s farming operation. She travels across the Southwest to meet with producers while staying connected to the daily demands of farming through her husband’s operation in West Texas. In addition to traditional row crops, she manages a small pumpkin crop she introduced to the farm, creating a local, community-focused addition to the operation. She said that balance has given her insight into the challenges farmers face.

“I just have a deeper understanding and appreciation for some of the things they go through,” Short said.

Elizabeth Van Hersh, a 2015 Davis College graduate with a degree in animal science, said the growing recognition of women as leaders and decision-makers in agriculture is clear.

“I think the role [of women] has adjusted,” Van Hersh said. “You’re not just showing up at a branding and cooking lunch and moving on. You’re helping with the branding and probably brought lunch, too.”

 

Van Hersh balances a full-time role in the cotton industry as a controller at Quarterway Cotton Growers with managing her family’s operation alongside her husband. Her work includes helping producers market their cotton and coordinating logistics, while also contributing to business decisions on their farm. With young children at home, her role has changed from daily, hands-on work to evenings and weekends, requiring constant time management and prioritization. She also volunteers at CommonGround, a volunteer-driven effort connecting female producers and consumers through conversations about food and agriculture.

The same progression is visible across the broader industry, where women are stepping into leadership positions. Within the sorghum industry, that shift is seen at the highest levels, with women serving in key leadership roles. Amy France, a farmer from Scott City, Kansas, serves as chair of the National Sorghum Producers Board of Directors and Kim Baldwin, a farmer from McPherson, Kansas, serves as chair of the United Sorghum Checkoff Program Board of Directors.

“It is much less male dominated in terms of industry leadership now than when I first started my career,” Ritz Johnson said.

Seeing women in those roles is a powerful indication of how the industry is evolving, in leadership opportunities and directly on the farm, Ritz Johnson said.

Short said these changes demonstrate a growing recognition of the role women play in shaping agricultural operations, not just supporting them.

“I can’t imagine a life any differently than having all these women working, not just as a gin secretary, but as a gin manager,” Short said. 

Capability and Partnership

In many agricultural operations, the work is divided by what needs to be done. 
Eiguren said that perspective was reinforced early in her experience working on ranch crews.

“I was typically the only other woman on the crew, and I just didn't have an issue with that, and people didn't have an issue with me,” Eiguren said. “I very much was taught by my parents and my family around me growing up that if I work as hard as I can and I never make being a girl be an issue, that it doesn't have to be an issue. And I truly have found that to be true.”

That mindset is reflected in how many women approach their work in agriculture.

Surrounded by banners and awards that indicate years of work in the show cattle industry, Katie Day, co-owner of Day Show Cattle, said confidence is built through experience.

“I think we're capable of whatever,” Day said. “You can do hard things. You can do mentally hard things, physically hard things. You're capable of it.” 
That confidence, she said, is key in agriculture.

“You should have the confidence that any job profession that is typically a man's sport or a man's game. I mean, you can [do it],” Day said. “It's not just a man's world.”

At the same time, that capability exists alongside a strong sense of partnership.

“I think the men's role is equally as important as a woman’s,” Van Hersh said. “I think it does not work if you're not partners. And it's not 50-50, it's 100-100.”

Together, those perspectives highlight a shared understanding across agriculture: success comes not from defined roles, but from the willingness and ability to contribute wherever needed.

Leaving a Legacy

The impact of women in agriculture does not stop at the operation, it continues in what is passed down.

Eiguren said motherhood has made her more aware of setting a positive example.

“Now as a mother, it definitely makes me more aware of what my daughter is seeing and hopefully having that pioneer, resilient spirit and attitude and those morals that have been passed down from generations,” Eiguren said.

“For her to have these examples of strong, kind women in agriculture on both sides of her family, I think it’s very formative, and I’m hopeful that it’s something she recognizes as she gets older.”

The idea of leading by example is something many women in agriculture carry with them. Brown said she approaches that influence with intention, particularly as she raises the next generation.

“With two daughters, I really want to instill in them how to be strong, capable women, but then also hang on to their femininity — that is a gift and a blessing to be a woman,” Brown said.

Together, those experiences represent how women in agriculture are not only shaping the industry today but also shaping how it will be carried forward. 

Looking Ahead

The next generation of agricultural leaders is already taking shape at the Davis College. As more women enter the field, that presence continues to expand what agriculture looks like and who is represented within it.

That visibility helps shape what students see as possible, not just in agriculture, but in the roles they believe they can hold within it, Ritz Johnson said.

“It's important because you don't know what to dream of if you've never seen it, right?” Ritz Johnson said.

For many women in agriculture, that visibility is something they are working to create for the next generation.

“I want to be an inspirational light,” Day said. “And I think the best way to do that is to live it and let people see it.”