Louisiana Farm Bureau is constantly working protect and promote Louisiana's farmers, ranchers, and rural residents. This podcast exists to share stories of those farmers with interviews about their farms and issues important to them. Here, we will also share about the work Farm Bureau is doing on their behalf on issues related to public policy from the parish level all the way to the halls of Congress in D.C.
"Welcome to the Louisiana Farm Bureau podcast. I'm Allie Shipley, and today we are outside the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation's state office, which is the perfect setting to continue our celebration of Women's History Month because today we are with Miss Amelia Kent. Thank you for being with us. Thank you for having me.
Why don't you go ahead and tell us a little bit about yourself and why this is the perfect setting for you."
"in this past June, the Louisiana farmer that was selected as.
The third vice president of the federation. So Farm Bureau was obviously quite special to me. And, beyond that, my husband, Russell.
Daughter Avery, both raised beef cattle in and around that museum."
"Like the perfect place for it on the farm. This is like the second best place. I feel like shop day to day.
Let's talk a little bit about how you got here and how you got to that position and kind of just where your involvement with the Farm Bureau really started."
"I do have to preface, half of my childhood was in Colorado with parents divorced. My mom moved home to her family's property in tangible parish, and that was 1995. So I finished high school. There. But then after leaving to go to college and coming back and on about playing the ear off, I was pretty well groomed, grounded in and around about, set up a whole parish and, and that same time frame I was building my own cowherd.
Hurricane Katrina hit and flat, and most of my family's quite timber and also damaged and put a significant damage on the field as well. So and so, while I still had.
Interest out of the house as a post-college, young adult adulthood.
I really was grounded. And fast forward by a.
Year or two
a neighborhood taken me under his wing, so to speak, and, encouraged me to apply for the whole school leadership program. But in that same time frame, he'd also.
Asked me to consider moving on to be tangipahoa parish farm bureau board.
As a young financial chair. So really, in about September of 2007 into the beginning of 2008, that's how my path of leadership started."
"Doesn't see I'm learning so much, even just months before this. I'm learning a lot about you. You kind of jumped into it a little.
Bit, but can you kind of take us back to
How you.
Knew? You said you built your cattle herd, and that's what how that interest sparked and how you knew you wanted to be involved in agriculture, even kind of before then when you came back and did that."
"So my interest in agriculture really started when I was a small child. My parents were a first generation ranching business in Colorado. So I grew up in the front Plains of Colorado. Ranching, cowboy crews getting checked into school late or checked out of school early so we could go load semis. I've been on more feed yards than I can count.
By the time I get. So that that interest was ingrained in me early and I talked about multiple different paths. And my very first plan of college was to go back to Colorado with cattle, with my dad. Not all family business turned out that one.
Didn't pan out. But fast forward and I.
Had been running a very small.
Herd with the intention of, irrigation, and I realized I was here for.
A longer while as I started.
Expanding that effort and eventually picked up a lease on my own. So I really cannot. My interest in agricultural start. It kind of."
"Sounds like you were born into it. And while we're upset it didn't work out in Colorado, we're really glad that you're here to have you because you have definitely done a lot this legislation and agriculture as a single organization. You kind of touched on your grandma. You come from a long line of women in AG, and that's not always necessarily the case.
We kind of joked at once that it's even less typical down here in the South for some reason, for women to be in these traditional, traditionally men's roles. So say it no better than that. Not that there's not not that it's not something women can't do, but it's not necessarily the norm here. And you run your cattle operation along with your husband, but you are the full time farmer and rancher on your operation, and it looks like you have a daughter following your footsteps, too, that loves being out there.
What does it mean to be a woman and to you?"
"The short answer is it can be anything you want it to be. I but you talked about watching my grandmother and and my mom. I mean, the I've never known anything different. I have seen women in my family before me, be hands on.
Directly involved in production, agriculture. I've never seen anything different. And even a step before that. I referenced Colorado up there. It was all hands on deck. And it doesn't matter what you happen to be like. I.
Remember young women.
Like teenagers and early 20s, running really heavy equipment.
Whether it's a, large scale round, large scale, round baler, large, large, the big square in there, or, bales, stacked wagon, things that you don't really see down here that often. Obviously the round balers, but, other pieces of equipment that are more specific to dryer areas, drier regions and, I remember those family ranch dynamics where they may or may not have had other other children like sons of Max, but the daughters were all in.
So that was a model for me early in my childhood. And teenage years. But then so I divide my my house into two chapters, the Colorado chapter and the Louisiana chapter. But when we moved down here, my grandmother and my grandfather had a wholesale plant nursery and a timber operation and a dairy. And now, granted, my grandma was not at all involved in the dairy, but she was she was intrepid relative to the plant.
She was a propagator, and she was extremely well known and renowned in the field. So I mean, that's what I'm saying."
"You’re downplaying her a little bit. And you tell us that what? She's the first woman that was inducted into the Louisiana Hall of Distinction was Hall of Distinction. Yes. So this is nothing new. Strong women. An egg is all that you've ever had, kind of, as you put it. Has there ever been a moment or a memory that has made you, like, step back and say, oh, I am a woman in a man's world?
Has there ever been a moment or a story that sticks out that kind of just like, put that into perspective a little bit."
"The more obvious answer to your question would be when I go to meetings, I, I was Louisiana's only.
Representative to the Cattlemen's Beef Board from 2016 to 2021 to be for this national leadership program for the corps that manages the project.
And granted, there you saw more women, but especially when I got involved with the Louisiana Beef Industry Council. I Council of nine members, ten of you, including commissioner. Also, there would.
Be one other woman at the table with me more often. It's one and it's me.
I there are countless examples of being in ministry settings. And I very much so am the producer and policy focus. So, like, when we have livestock advisory committee meetings, we might have 40 or 50 people in it, maybe 10% women in attendance. So it
that's your very apparent. That's a very easy answer to your question.
But I also remember when my husband and I first started dating.
And we were 60 miles from one another at that point, and I, I drove up with my pickup trainer, and people in the community did a double take. They didn't know how to process."
"It's a lot. I remember my.
First vehicle was a Toyota Tacoma.
So that I could bring pig shavings back and forth to the farm and people I came to college. I didn't realize that that was unusual. Now that I am nearly in the production, excited as you are. But even just growing up on a farm, I didn't think it was great. My little sister still drives an F-150 parked in on Sorority Row at LSU, still gets some funny looks.
So it's a really funny story and I can only imagine.
You kind of talked about being a woman in those boardrooms especially. You are the only female on the Louisiana Farm Bureau's executive board. And you were also the only the second woman ever to serve in that role. Can you kind of talk a little bit about,
hey, what that's been like and what that means to you, and also a little bit about Miss Linda and setting that example."
"And being the first.
Let's start with
So Miss Linda is on right now was in the role of third Vice president when I first got involved. And even before I recognized what a rarity, that was or what what an accomplishment that was. I recognized her as a role model and a force to be, she she is such a leader. She was such a leader and is still a role model in so many different respects.
I mean, there aren't enough words to capture the sentiments I have, and I wasn't that close with her. I she knew who I was. I mean, obviously, I know who she was. I've gotten to know some of her family pretty well, too. But she despite being gone, she's still live somewhere."
"It definitely speaks to her legacy. I feel like I don't I never personally feel like I know the impact of her.
Because just how powerful she was."
"You felt like you knew her actually made it. Absolutely. So on that note, I have done some things and been the first female to do something of that nature, but to not be and to have missed my past and and for its history and past to follow ahead, I mean that.
That's almost a load lifted. I I'm not scared. I have a life motto that like, I marched around me, beat me as beating my own path. I like that. I don't have to. I don't have to beat this path. And I already did it. Right. And beyond that, I was thinking about my specific role relative to the executive executive committee.
I don't see it as very different as when I saw it. Leadership in the livestock advisory Committee. I'm I'm interested in these topics and in the live in the Capacity of Livestock advisory committee and speakers. I'm interested in livestock production and policy specifics of that. And that's the path kind of in conjunction and especially post wife and or I took.
But thinking about the executive committee,
One of the things I love most about the Farm Bureau is that we represent.
The entire spectrum of agriculture and not just one party. And I bring that to and that that's the priority. My great executive. And obviously we have more responsibilities,
Across multiple layers than that. Just, our own commodities or representing agriculture. But to serve on the executive committee with farmers across commodities, across the state, to serve on behalf of farmers, across all of the commodities, across the entire state, that's very special to me."
"I remember we were talking a little bit about SBF, and you kind of talked about how y'all were recently. The exact committee was recently in DC before the administration change, trying really hard to get a farm bill passed. And fortunately we didn't get that. But you talked about how well the farm bill doesn't
necessarily.
Impact you all as much as it was impacting our Ro crop farmers, disaster relief and things like that, that.
They were there for y'all. When y'all are going through a drought and you were going to be there to help echo their voice, can you kind of touch a little bit on that? Kind of like you just mentioned that we're all in this together as Farm Bureau."
"So for those who do not know the statistic, it's less than 1.5% of our American population is engaged in direct production, agriculture. And and yes, to your point, in 2023, we're going through a historic drought. Louisiana. That was heavily impacting all of the commodities. But relative to the structure of, the farm bill and any support for livestock producers, we, the livestock producers are heavily dependent upon the drought monitor.
And so we we asked through your team, the PR team, to really push, conditions, monitor work through the drought monitor, which is pretty easy to do because we all watch the weather apps, our status, and.
Maybe compare this one to that one. Okay, so let's take another few minutes to approach the picture. Yes, the drought monitor. We're asking to make sure that They understand impacts that we have. And, and the Farm Bureau family came together. And that's going to be to help us get the map to where it needed to be to better reflect where we were which was a significant lag taking longer than it should have. So fast forward and, we're and really tough.
Times for the row crop, but is relative to commodity prices in comparison to the cost of production. And oh, wait, we still don't have a farm bill. So going to Washington, DC to communicate that message of need to our congressional delegation is something I've had immense training to do. But, really resonates whenever we're able to talk about the state of affairs and boots on the ground level and what some of the ramifications can be if we don't get the help that we need. So that's that's the beauty and the Farm Bureau family working across all of the commodities and helping each other out means, there aren't enough of us to fight and fight, fight this fight on our own."
"And I think that's such a good example of the Farm Bureau family, and that we're all helping each other out, and we all have a common interest, even.
If they're a little different. That's what the needs are, a little different if people can, I gather.
Yes. You're pretty busy. You're in DC. You were somewhere last week and we were trying to get on this podcast. You serve in a lot of different capacities in conjunction with being the third vice president of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, being a cattle producer, being a life and being a mom. You're busy and these things take time.
Why do you think why do you invest your time in the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation and just the greater, community and advocacy that you do? Because it takes a lot of your time, even if you don't admit it. We know that you're busy a lot and gone on the road from."
I don't know if Joe coined this, but it's one of his favorite sayings, which is if you're not at the table, you're on the menu. And that is incredibly resonating for a cattle producer like myself.
But let's let's take a step back.
I went to college outside of Boston with incredibly intelligent people, have gone on to, admirable careers to be I mean, some of my college classmates are doing things that people dream about.
When I grow up. I want to do something spectacular.
And I have classmates that are doing those things right. And despite their incredible intelligence,
oh, I don't the mind boggling experience, I won't do anything for years is the same.
Incredibly intelligent people genuinely believe the food chain stores, the store. And granted the small family farm that my my mom, sister and I had and my mom still has an army, it was very different than what my parents ranch.
Look like in Colorado. But the fact that, I mean.
Even fast forward, I was having a conversation with my college roommate a few weeks ago about, first of all, and another hot.
Topic, right?
And she was talking about another classmate of ours lives in New York, I believe, being worried about her cat contracting bird flu, because of the cats. I mean, it was some I couldn't have been I could have concocted the story if I would have tried. Like I could not have. And my college roommate comes from central Pennsylvania and a lot of her across the country.
So even though she doesn't come from direct production and she understands a lot better than obviously her other classmate, but, things like that. Just at farm, kids don't think about that.
I never thought about it. I would venture a guess and probably go either. So my really my motivation for advocacy and showing up.
Goes back to really smart people having zero clue about what we do day in and day out. I have a very I recognize I have a unique perspective. I joke that I'm a melting pot of different experiences, so.
I think that's a really good.
Example. But I can.
Bring that to the table. I can, I can be in a pasture.
Or sitting on a tractor.
Or doing whatever. I'm getting ready to have a dialog with Congresswoman.
Loveless staff about whatever legislative, legislative topic of the day is bothering me. I mean, literally, Kate texted me yesterday just wanting to see how things are going. And, the concern of the moment is what how tariffs are going to impact direct production costs and marketing out, marketing access. So I was able to convey that to that session that as a result of coming up through the young farmers and ranchers program and several other training avenues along the way.
But those relationships matter. And that's, again, it goes back to that college experience. But how can I how can I voice my own needs but that of others in a constructive way.
That is impactful? I think that's so important and just kind of speaks to the mission of Farm Bureau. And you're such a great example that we appreciate you taking the time to do that. It's a young producer where to come to you. And there you were to talk to a young producer about getting involved in farm gear. And like, I'm not sure if that's for me or I don't really have the time or the or the skill set.
What would you tell them to to convey that need or that
the importance of that, just because it is an investment? The farmers are busy, everyone's busy and time is a huge commodity to spend.
It is so I think about that.
I even even in pairing, Russell and myself, Russell is.
Incredibly supportive, but he's the first to admit that he doesn't have the interest in serving in some of the capacities I serve. But he's proud that I do. So that, I mean, that's a close to home example, but I think about, so we only have one child and she keeps us busy. And I had a conversation this morning with the mom of about to be number three, like two weeks away.
And I don't understand how parents do what they do, one or multiple. I mean, it's beyond me. So I when people say they're too busy or they're chasing kids or.
Like extracurriculars are busier than they've ever been, I get that and I respect that.
But there are so many different opportunities and avenues that aren't super time consuming. So obviously the path I've taken has a lot of direct and personal trainings that experience that way. But you, you referenced Washington DC and then November Lion and the messaging towards end.
Of the year that ultimately got included in that final continuing resolution. And like the last hour,
The Christmas gift, we're all okay.
Yes, yes. Better than the capstone Christmas stories.
But I bring that up as an example of the voter voice effort. I mean, how many of us have smartphones in the back pockets.
Are going to the hands at any given point? The voter voice is a perfect example of how you can engage
and participate and.
And voice your needs and opinions with a couple of clicks. So, it's our responsibility as much as your team. It is back on us and our leadership positions. It's our responsibility to get that messaging out that you have tools as simple as voter voice. But oh, wait, what if we have that state governors and ranchers, state Capitol.
Day and Baton Rouge, or for the white House State Committee for science? I mean, I,
am also involved in.
Land lakes governance, which was my name last week. But I have naturally gravitated to their policies because of all of my life partners, clients. So I love them.
And I can bring that experience to another activist channel.
So. And it's fun because I can be as much or as little as we want it to be.
And I think that's such an.
Important note because we've said it a lot, a lot of times this podcast last week is.
We don't we don't have a very we can date for a little while and you can come to the door.
there's a seat for everyone at our table. And it can be as big of a seat as you want or a small receipt. Just get in the door and come see what it's about.
Because
if you are in agriculture, you benefit from absolutely there's something your free will.
And I'll take it a step further. Kirk Hendry, vice president of sales. The insurance side, the FSA, he was an agency manager.
So. Small world. Yes, sir.
Yes, but he has a saying if you eat today, you need to be a farmer. You remember? That's a bit of a stretch. I mean, I, I agree with it because at the end of the day, at the beginning of the day.
Three times a day, three times a day.
The food in your fridge and in your house on a plate that's come from somewhere.
And that gets back to my politics, college experience. And, people not knowing.
That food chains exist prior to the grocery store.
So it it's it's all full circle. And it I.
Whether or not.
Agrarian is nowhere center is working and.
I, I firmly believe that,
regardless of commodity.
Or scale, the marketing avenue is know from here is great.
And those even those who are not and respond more.
I think you're very right. Just for what I see this building we are doing out there, I think a lot of people are benefiting from the work that's done through this organization, both the grassroots level.
At the state level, the national level. It's working on all levels for the good of all that are involved.
The reason we're here today, I feel like week was National Women's History Month. We talked a lot about Farm Bureau, which is great too.
But let's kind of turn back to that a little bit. As a mom of a little girl and as a woman. And what do you hope that.
She or any woman that's considering production egg or being involved in AG in any capacity, what do you hope they know as a woman in the field, or what advice.
Do you have for them?
The opportunities are.
Endless. I mean, there. Kind of like it's it's one.
Farm grows as much or as little as you want it to be. The constructs are only as big or as little as you make them. Not to say it will be easy. It may or may not be.
The case, but,
My thought in that regard is very similar to the concept of the world is your oyster. Just make it your own. Make it happen. There may be some,
oh, I guess, global social pushback or or lack of understanding. But then if you go elsewhere in the world and elsewhere in the country, those stereotypes are falling apart. So, I, I try not to put too much,
regard on the stereotypes you do. You can be
And relative to I agree, I mean, if you ask her, her favorite thing in the world is to go chase cows.
It's like I saw some videos she's doing and.
She's doing it, with her people. So, I mean, and of that, we love it because that means we don't have to cut her off. And friends and family and son.
Got all our in the morning. But if this is something that her interest continues on as she approaches thoughtful.
Then we'll do everything we can to facilitate her and and give her a foundation that will benefit. And if she wants nothing to do with agriculture and let's go do something completely unrelated, we're happy with that to give her the best foundation we can. No pressure.
But she'll know where our food comes from and she won't think. It's hard sometimes.
And I think that's important to know. I'm pretty sure she's asking if I could meet up with research and.
Test and I. Kids are different. I think they understand life circle a lot.
our Calvet is also our parish president, so she knows I'm a doctor. Justin and I had her in the truck with.
Me in the fall. I called him on speaker because I had a cow with prolapse, and,
And so I called for a vet call. It's going to be a little while, but she's like, why did you call Doctor Justin and said, well, there's another cow. I want to go see it. And so we had to turn around. What's that red thing? Yes. So cow cancer farm kids are built different.
They know. Are they unders? They understand that I guess they're different things. We understand a lot about about it, that's for sure. Is there anything that we haven't touched on today that you think is important for the listeners to know about? You know about anything we talked about?
So we talked a lot about Farm Bureau, but the, the opportunities and avenues within that, we we didn't spend a lot of time on. But that also is a broad spectrum, whether it's the Women's.
Committee or AG in the classroom or the various commodity committees, that we have our issues, advisories like this.
Coastal conservation and labor. Like what if if that's a concern, we have it. So I.
I'd like to think that we have all of the opportunities available to, match the interest of.
Producers and those who work in our allied industries. So, like I said, from here is incredibly important to me and has really given me the foundation.
And leadership and advocacy training that help me and I guess, help facilitate other opportunities. So that's a lot.
Of credit to get Farm Bureau, because if anybody knows you, they know that you are quite the leader and quite the advocate in on a lot of different stages. So that speaks volumes to Farm Bureau. That to your credit thing for a lot of your success here,
won't say all of it, but a lot of it, and seriously and, and various
avenues I've been.
In on a national stage. People regularly ask if my.
Involvement started with Farm Bureau, and I guess
That's a contribution to trainings at the APF level and at the State Farm Bureau surveys.
So. Well, we are so glad that you're with us today. We're so glad that you're a woman. And I we're just so glad that you're on our board and helping move the needle of AG and changing those stereotypes that we don't really think matter anymore. So thank you so much for visiting with us today for being part of our here.
Thank you for
if you want to learn more about any of the avenues that Amelia referenced, we'll have those links for you here. Thank you so much for joining us for this episode of Louisiana Farm Bureau Podcast.