Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Venessa Wood. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Venessa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Ag Women Connect was an idea that I was connecting and building for 30 years based upon my network and listening to the needs of women in agriculture. Once God told me what to do and how to provide a solution, I didn’t doubt his shout, and I immediately took action and created the company! I felt this would work because of my faith and constant prayer for God to show me my purpose in life other than being a mom and wife. I prayed for this opportunity for 15 years. There was not a platform in the world that shined the light on women’s stories in agriculture, gave them recognition, and a physical place for them to connect with other like minds. Our unique approach to reach women in agriculture is through podcasts, community, chapter meetings, media, and national events! I once heard the phrase, “Build the mission and the people will come”, that’s exactly what happened!

Venessa , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

HI, I’M VENESSA WOOD
I am a proud Texan with a background in farming, equine, and entrepreneurship. After graduating from Texas Tech University with a degree in Agricultural Leadership, I have spent the majority of my career in leadership roles in various agricultural sectors. My passion is to bring together a community of women in agriculture and empower them to succeed!

May we never lose sight of what we set out to do from the very beginning. The foundation of this company and what brings all generations together is providing a platform for you to feel confident and comfortable to tell your story in agriculture. . Our tag line, podcast, and radio show ” Ag Talk Your Story Matters” was developed not long after creating the company. It doesn’t matter if you have 2 followers or 2 million, you bring something unique to the table and someone out there needs to hear what you have to say. If we want to ensure that agriculture thrives, more voices need to be heard. We are not living in a world today to succumb to silence. As a Christian based company, I implore you to stand up for your industry, your voice, unite with us, and be bold and courageous with your truth and individual purposes. Without agriculture, we cannot survive.

Esther: 4:14 “For Such a Time as This” You are not here by accident. You are exactly where God is meant for you to be. Perhaps you were born for such a time as this.

Looking into 2024, I have been called by God to focus on three important things. Firstly, I am determined to speak more about my own journey of faith and educate others about the spiritual war we are facing as Christians and how that affects agriculture. I believe it is crucial to speak life into our younger generations and speak out against the media and extremist indoctrination that has taken over our schools and societies.

Secondly, advocating for agriculture and raising awareness about the current real agriculture issues. We would be remiss if we didn’t fight against mis, dis, and Mal information being used to destroy our industry. I will continue to provide a platform for others to share their experiences and solutions to educate the public about the truth and who is misguiding and deceiving the nation with fear based marketing.

Lastly, I feel a strong sense of urgency to gather and unite people to encourage them to vote in the upcoming elections and help turn this country back around. Let us remember that there is only so much we can do as individuals, but together in union, we can accomplish much more. 2024 is the year to get uncomfortable and inspire others to stand up for our industry, and create change.

About Ag Women Connect

AG Women Connect is proud to support and empower women in the agricultural community across the United States. Our positive and forward-thinking organization provides a safe space for women to connect, grow, and support one another in all aspects of agriculture.

Our commitment to advocating for women experiencing real-life issues within the industry is unwavering. We provide trustworthy resources, education, events, and opportunities to give back to local communities. Our forum equips women with the tools they need to step into their voice, be confident, and make a difference in their lives and for upcoming generations.

In addition, one thing that I am very proud of is the Ag Women Connect Foundation that we created in April of 2023. As our organization grows, we recognize the need to support Ag families who have been impacted by unforeseen tragedies such as violent weather, drought, fire, and more. Ag Women Connect is here to guide, aid, and shine a light on these stories and families. Our primary 501c3 goal is to tell and broadcast real ag issue stories within our industry. Through storytelling, we hope to bridge the gap between those who don’t understand agriculture and those who sacrifice every day to live this lifestyle, continue tradition, and provide for others. In addition, we will be awarding scholarships to children and women who demonstrate talent, work ethic, and passion for this industry, but may not have received an agriculture scholarship from other entities.

The AWC Foundation was able to give out 8 scholarships to our youth in agriculture this year at the ” Such a Time as This” AWC Conference. We are extremely grateful for the start up success due to the support of our members and folks who believe in the future of agriculture and bringing up our younger generations.

Have you ever had to pivot?

If you own a business you are always pivoting. That’s the change that never changes. We have an idea or plan in our mind of how things should go, but at any moment God has a way of protecting us can change the trajectory of our route. We have to continue to trust in Him and his plan, even though we may not see it at the time.

I came across a very pivotal moment in January of 2022. I was called to make a demanding decision to buy a partner out in AWC because our visions for the company did not match. I was either going to walk away from my dream or be bold and courageous and go full force, get uncomfortable and trust in God. Within a very short amount of time, AWC was put back into my name, and then I lost my job a few days later ( corporate by out). Funny how life works! So, I had to make another big decision to sell a family farm to support my dream and purpose that God laid on my heart to bring women in agriculture together across the nation. Not many people would sell a piece of land for a vision that required un-calculated risks! However, making that decision with God and having the support of my family, AWC found itself growing immensely over the last 2 years with opportunity knocking at every door. Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. My favorite verse. It’s amazing what God will do, if you pray like it depends on him, but also take acton like it depends on you.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

100% being a Christian based company from the get go! Every single time we post an encouraging word or scripture on our social media handles, statistics show it is one of our most popular posts. Not only that, as a key note faith based speaker- I can personally tell you women of all ages are inspired by stories of faith and women who aren’t afraid to put that out there. The world needs more leaders. Yes they do. Not worldly leaders, but Christian leaders. Even in the agriculture industry where faith is a huge common denominator of how we can function through life and handle the rollercoaster of the ups and downs of farming and ranching, our listeners are craving this kind of leadership and light in the world. It’s our number one positive feedback! Additionally, the fact that we welcome all roles in agriculture and even women who may not of grown up on in agriculture but RESPECTFULLY want to learn or help our industry, is what makes us stand out. We are gate getters, not keepers. Educating others outside the ag industry is a strong passion of ours, and the only way we can do that is to open up the conversation, invite others and be kind to those who want to learn. Many of us use social media to connect and educate the world about ag and we love seeing the interaction and positive outcome of that information.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://agwomenconnect.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/agwomenconnect/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/agwomenconnect
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/venessa-joy-🇺🇸-0006a646/
• Twitter: Venessa Joy
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@agwomenconnect
• Other: Tik tok Ag Women Connect

Image Credits

Katie Bell and Alicia Jare, Emma Coffman