Plainview native creates company to bring women in AG closer together

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - A woman originally from Plainview, Venessa Wood, saw a need in the AG industry and decided to make a change. She created AG Women Connect to bring women in agriculture closer together.

Wood has been learning what a woman in agriculture needs for 30 years.

“It’s not easy, growing up in agriculture,” Wood said. “It’s not easy working in agriculture, so people who are not familiar with agriculture don’t understand the adversity that we have to face.”

In response, Wood created a space to bring these women together, starting in 2021.

“AG Women Connect is America’s platform for women in agriculture to come to share their thoughts, their ideas and their stories,” Wood said.

There’s a weekly wellness Zoom where a woman can share her story and get advice from others. This Ag Talk turns into a podcast that can be shared after the event.

Members also meet once a month across the nation. Wood says it’s face-to-face interactions that will spark change.

“If we truly want to make a difference in agriculture, we’ve got to build leadership within our communities,” Wood said.

Wood says the company is meant to be a place where you can talk about the hard stuff.

“We talk a lot about mental illness within our farmers and ranchers in our agriculture community,” Wood said. “That’s something that has been a taboo subject, so we’re not afraid to open those conversations for people who are ready to share their story.”

Members also mentor each other.

“We’re going to help you cultivate those relationships, you never know who you’re going to meet in that network who can help you throughout college and your career,” Wood said.

She says there are no qualifications to join. Any woman 18 and up can be a member, including farmers, AG teachers, those who’ve been in agriculture since birth and those putting on boots for the first time.

“We just take all of that, and we want them all to be together and we want to work with them because honestly, that’s just how agriculture is going to grow,” Wood said.

A basic membership is $75 a year. The company has now grown to 60 paying members with many social media connections.

You can become a member here.

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