World Grain - November 2024 - 50

FEATURE: SUSTAINABILITY IN FOCUS AT WIA SUMMIT
workers at the East Coast and Gulf ports went on strike
for several days before reaching a tentative agreement.
" Another problem is that the Mississippi River water
levels are low, " Klieger said. " So much of agricultural
products that are produced in this country come down
the Mississippi and go out through the gulf as exports.
But the river level has gotten so low that they're having
problems getting the commodities out. "
Large millennial attendance
The WIA Summit has not only grown larger in recent
years, but it's also trended younger. More than 50%
of the delegates at this year's summit were millennials
(ages 28-43), said Carrie Vita, event director of the
WIA Summit.
Speakers: Diversification
efforts must continue
While the number of women in agriculture
and agribusiness has climbed in recent
years, including at the highest levels
of companies and organizations, a
panel of female industry executives told
delegates at the Women in Agribusiness
Summit in Denver that there's more work
to be done.
" We can't just be happy that we've
made some progress, " said Maria Lewis,
chief diversity officer, Faegre Drinker.
" We have to be intentional in every step
we take forward. "
Ardent Mills
was among
the companies
with a tabletop
display in the
conference
hallway.
This year's attendees took advantage of a new " networking "
track in which they broke into small groups
to discuss topics that included artificial intelligence,
cultivating business relationships, and advancing sustainability
in food systems.
" We're trying to create more intentional networking,
which is why we added that track this year, " she said.
" It's smaller than the other ones; there was probably 80
to 90 per session. It gave them that extra networking
opportunity, which is what a lot of them came here for.
I think the networking track is going to be a permanent
thing going forward. "
The 2025 WIA Summit is scheduled for Sept. 22-24,
2025, in Orlando, Florida, US.
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50
Lewis was part of a four-person panel
leading a session entitled, " Transforming
the Workplace. "
The effort to diversify the US workforce,
including in agriculture, has encountered
headwinds recently as some companies,
feeling political pressure, have quietly
shelved their diversity, equity and inclusion
(DEI) programs that were started
several years ago.
The panelists agreed progress can still
be made - with or without the DEI label.
" When I talk to my peers the sentiment
seems to be that the work is not
stopping, " said April Love, vice president
and chief inclusion officer for Sysco Corp.
" We talk about it maybe in different
ways, maybe using different language.
It seems that most people are generally
supportive of the movement if the term
DEI is not used. "
Love cautioned that pushing the agenda
forward will require not just women,
noting that one of the keys to developing
a strong culture of diversity and inclusion
is finding influential men in a company
who are willing to advocate for women
and other minorities.
" Anytime you start talking about an initiative
to empower or develop women,
if men are not in the mix to me that's a
non-starter, " Love said. " If you have a
man in the company who is influential
and you have a good relationship, maybe
this event is a place to bring him so that
he can hear for himself what women are
feeling and sharing in these spaces. "
November 2024 / World Grain / World-Grain.com
http://www.World-Grain.com
World Grain - November 2024

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