Agriscience Meets Agribusiness

Deane Jorgenson, Ph.D., set her sights on making an impact in agriculture. From the time she earned a Ph.D. in entomology from the University of California, Riverside, to the start of her career as a research scientist, Jorgenson knew her fresh thoughts and different perspectives would add to her drive to make decisions rooted in data.

Today, Jorgenson is a product lead for fungicides at Syngenta, and her career path is undeniably one of a person who has shaped agriculture for the better. But it’s also been one that has seen women take on a larger role in the industry.

“Early on, especially in crop protection R&D, there were few women, and even fewer in roles that directly influenced strategy or commercialization,” Jorgenson says. “As my career progressed into more commercial-facing roles, that gap became even more noticeable. It really reinforced why representation matters — not as a statement, but because it shapes how decisions get made.”

Women Gaining Momentum in the Ag Talent Pipeline

Women make up a bigger piece of the U.S. college student body than ever before. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, between 55% and 60% of bachelor’s degrees this decade have been awarded to women. That number exploded from around 35% in 1960 to about 50% in 1980 and has continued to climb steadily since then.

Agricultural programs mirror the general college population trends – and the gap is perhaps even more stark. A Purdue University report showed that 61% of bachelor’s degrees, 65% of master’s degrees and 53% of doctoral degrees awarded in FARNRE (food, agriculture, renewable natural resources and the environment) fields in 2023 went to women.

The trend extends beyond the classroom and into the actual agricultural workforce. According to USDA’s 2022 Census of Agriculture, there are about 1.2 million female producers in the country, accounting for 36% of all producers. The highest proportion of farms or ranches with at least one female producer is seen in the West and Northeast. Data from that same census shows that women producers are younger, more likely to be a beginning farmer, and more likely to live on the farm they operate than their male counterparts. More than half the country’s farms and ranches are at least partially operated by women.

Yet, while women are increasingly visible in the U.S. farming workforce, statistics from the census show that they remain underrepresented in the most influential positions. The latest census data shows that while 58% of U.S. farming operations had at least one female operator in 2022, women were the “principal producer” or the primary decision maker on only 22% of operations.

There’s More Than One Road to Success

Jorgenson believes there are innumerable opportunities for women to make their mark in ag, whether “principal producer” appears on their resume or not.

“There’s more than one way to build a career in agriculture,” she says. “You can start in research and still move into roles that shape how products are developed, positioned and used. That visibility can make a big difference early on [in a career].”

Jorgenson advises young women seeking an ag career to lean into their strengths and doors will open.

“I’m a Ph.D. trained entomologist, so I started firmly in research,” she says. “But over time, I’ve been able to apply that training in broader ways — across development, commercialization and now product marketing. Being a woman in this space has pushed me to be confident in my expertise and intentional about how I show up as a leader.”

As Jorgenson’s career took her from research and development and led her to more commercial-facing pursuits, she found that the meetings she attended usually had fewer women than she was used to. She followed her own advice, led with her strengths and trusted that she was put in those positions for a reason.

“Moving into technical development and later into marketing put me in rooms where deep scientific training wasn’t always the norm,” she recounts. “I learned quickly that being prepared, knowing the data and confidently connecting science to business outcomes went a long way. Being able to articulate scientific information to non-scientists has been a critical pillar for me.”

Even though Jorgenson’s career trajectory has taken her down a more corporate path, she vows to never abandon her scientific roots.

“I hope [women in agriculture] see that changing roles doesn’t mean leaving science behind,” she says. “My move from R&D to technical development, then into commercial marketing and now specialty fungicide product marketing has really been about expanding the impact of science — not stepping away from it.

“Early on [in my career], success was about generating strong data or answering specific research questions,” she continues. “Now, it’s more about influence: helping guide decisions, shaping product strategy, and making sure innovation gets translated and articulated into true benefits for growers.”

The Next Gen Finds Strength in Expertise

So, what does the future of agriculture look like? With the rise of AI and automation, higher levels of consumer interaction, and ever-changing tides in the sea of politics and trade, one thing is certain: For ag to succeed, the industry will need the best and brightest minds to make their voices heard and be willing to listen and learn from one another. Leadership may look different than it did only a few decades ago; the center of success lies in up-and-comers understanding their natural capabilities and nurturing new talents.

“Women often bring a strong ability to connect dots between science, agronomy and grower realities,” Jorgenson says. “In agriculture, leadership isn’t just about setting vision. It’s about execution, adaptability and collaboration; and having those strengths have made a real difference.”

Jorgenson advises young women to build a strong technical foundation but stay open to exploring different roles in ag.

“Some of the most valuable experiences come from stepping outside traditional paths and learning how science connects to real-world decisions,” she says. “If I could give my younger self advice, it would be, ‘Don’t wait as long to speak up; and never, ever take yourself off the top shelf just because someone can’t reach.’ Your expertise has value sooner than you think.”

Ultimately, agriculture will go where the best people take it. Jorgenson believes many of those best people are and will be women.

“Agriculture today is tackling big challenges — from sustainability and what that means to growers to resistance management,” she says. “That attracts people who want their work to matter. Bringing more women into the field strengthens innovation by bringing in various perspectives and problem solving approaches. Women in ag are shaping the future of food and farming in more collaborative ways than ever before.”