#WomeninAg Profile: Isabella Chism, Serves on Indiana Farm Bureau Board of Directors

For Isabella Chism, empowering female farmers is a necessary step forward for the future of agriculture, which is why she’s creating leadership conferences and educational seminars specifically geared toward women in agriculture. A city-girl-turned-farmer, Isabella learned the ins and outs of farming after joining her husband, Kent, on the family farm to raise corn, soybeans and sweet corn. While she can be found running the grain cart when necessary, the majority of her time is now spent as an agriculture advocate, speaking on Capitol Hill and to other stakeholders about important agriculture policies.

She was elected as second vice president of the Indiana Farm Bureau (INFB) in 2006 and currently serves on the INFB board of directors and its affiliated companies, including the Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, and is a member of the executive committee and audit committee. She was elected to chair the American Farm Bureau’s (AFB) Women’s Leadership Committee and is a member of the AFB Trade Advisory Committee. She also chairs the Howard County Extension Board and serves as executive director of the Howard 4-H exhibit association capital projects.

Isabella sat down with Land Values to talk about how she got started in agriculture leadership, why it’s still important to hold female-specific leadership seminars in the ag industry and advice for those unsure of their current career path.

Land Values (LV): What drew you to becoming involved with the Indiana Farm Bureau? Did you always know it was something you were going to pursue?

Isabella Chism (IC): No, I wouldn’t say I pursued it. Instead, I would say it was something that evolved. I’m always open to learning and, as we got involved with the county level farm bureau, I began seeing some of the things that the Indiana Farm Bureau was offering as far as leadership development. I went through the program and it was just one step right after the other.

LV: Along with your current role as second vice president of the Indiana Farm Bureau, you’re also chairwoman of the American Farm Bureau’s Women’s Leadership Committee. What do you do in that role?

IC: As chair of the Women’s Leadership Committee, what we’re doing is creating programming and filling needs for women across the country. The whole purpose is to empower women and give them the confidence that they need. For example, we hold a Women’s Communication Bootcamp. It’s a four-day, very intense program with one-on-one coaching and classroom experiences. Only 15 women are accepted every year, and we always have between 30 and 50 who apply.

We’ve also created the Women’s ACE (Advocate, Cultivate, Empower) Summit, which is basically an advocacy intake conference with extended educational opportunities. We expose them to USDA speakers, trade people, ag ambassadors from other countries and high-ranking officials. They speak to the entire group and lead breakout sessions that help women find their niche.

LV: What would you say has been more valuable to you in your career, your education or your experience?

IC: I think it’s been having mentors along my path to seek out and always being able to ask questions as well as mirroring some of the skills that I value in other people. It’s also realizing that my husband, Kent, is not going to be the one to get off of the tractor and go to the statehouse or to Capitol Hill and talk about these things that are affecting us. I realize that’s where this position – or this place in my life – has evolved to. I now have the skills and experiences in order to be able to approach stakeholders confidently and speak knowledgeably about what I know and ask questions when I don’t.

LV: Do mentors play a role in your professional development as well as your career?

IC: I highly value mentors and mentoring women. The thing that I struggle with is I wish that there was a system for that. When mentors and mentees are paired, a lot of times that’s so artificial and so strained. So, the way I look at mentors and mentees is that if I see something in someone, I go and ask them questions or meet them for coffee or something like that, where we’re just conversing back and forth and learning that way. That’s what I encourage women to do when I’m speaking to them like at communication bootcamp. Don’t be afraid to ask people questions.

LV: Why is it important to hold these events or educational seminars like the boot camp specifically for women in agriculture?

IC: People will ask me if we really still need a women’s committee. A gender specific committee? And I say that I would have said no before I was ever involved. But then you get involved and you see some of those “glass ceilings” and some of that is because of this traditional and conservative culture that agriculture is a part of. Yes, they are there, and you’ll find pockets where everything looks very well balanced, but then if you get into the specifics of some of the organizations, you’ll find that it’s more homogeneous than it appears on the outside.

So, yes, there is a need that these women-specific events and educational seminars fill; however, where women seem to thrive and move exponentially or grow exponentially faster is in peer-to-peer training where they’re learning together, they’re supporting each other, they see each other mess up and they pick each other back up.

LV: Is there a specific agriculture sector that women are really drawn to that’s growing as far as the female demographic?

IC: I don’t think so. From my experience, I continue to be fascinated to hear that 36% of all farms are owned and run by women. That just seems like a high number. But then that makes sense that you don’t see as many farm women involved in other things like leadership positions, for example. You will find sectors like agribusiness where more women are involved and hold more leadership positions in the agribusiness sector than you do in the traditional production agriculture sector.

LV: Do you have advice for someone who might be new to the industry or a new graduate who may not be sure what path to take or what’s a good step for their future career path?

IC: I would encourage everyone to go after the goal they’re most passionate about. What do you love the most in life? All of the other things will come if you’re following your heart in this work. There will be a lot of opportunities if you allow yourself to be open to them. If you’re so laser focused on one specific thing, you’re going to miss out. A lot of why I’m here now is because I allow myself to listen to other things even if it doesn’t seem to be in my path right now. And I listen and I learn and, eventually, before I know it, that becomes my path. I’ve gained all of this experience along the way to prepare me for what I’m doing right now. So that’s what I would say: keep your eyes and ears open and go in the direction of your passion, what you desire the most, what you want to do the most. Without focusing specifically on a title or a position, keep going in that direction. And when the opportunity arises even if the time doesn’t seem right, but it’s exactly what you love to do, say yes. You will figure it out.