Purdue Extension Honors Women in Agriculture for Leadership, Passion

Savannah Bordner received the 2022 Emerging Women in Agriculture Leadership award on Aug. 4, 2022 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Pictured: Angie Abbott, assistant dean of Purdue University’s College of Health and Human Sciences and associate director for Purdue Extension, Savannah Bordner and Karen Plaut, the Glenn W. Sample Dean of Purdue Agriculture. Photo: Indiana State Department of Agriculture


Back on August 4th at the Celebration of Agriculture held at the Indiana State Fair, Purdue Extension recognized three Indiana agriculture leaders. Purdue senior and former Indiana State FFA officer Savannah Bordner received the Emerging Women in Agriculture Leadership Award, which recognizes the accomplishments of a high school or undergraduate student who has made a positive impact on agriculture.
Bordner told HAT that since learning of the award, she’s done a lot of reflecting on where her passion for agriculture came from.
“It kind of goes back to riding in the tractor and combine with my dad growing up and talking about where I wanted to go, who I wanted to be. And going around with a good family friend of ours and doing chores in the hog barn. I just remember knowing I had a passion for ag but not knowing the depths of it and not knowing where this industry would take me. So, it’s just been really, really cool. This award means a lot because I’ve been able to reflect on where I started and how far I’ve come and what experiences I’ve gained along the way.”
Bordner says she has a tremendous respect for Indiana farmers and Indiana agriculture. She looks forward to taking that into her future career as she graduates in May. What career might that be?
“That is a really great question! So, I described it the other day as kind of this ocean that I’m looking at right now and I’m on a diving board. There are so many opportunities. It’s so vast, and I don’t know exactly what’s next. I interned for Corteva Agriscience this summer as a commercial sales intern. I loved my experience working with farmers and retailers, talking to them about the solutions for the future. So, I’m really excited to potentially begin a career with them or with another company.”
Bordner is studying agriculture economics at Purdue while serving as a Purdue College of Agriculture ambassador and in Purdue’s Old Masters Program. She recently traveled on a Purdue study abroad program with two Purdue Extension educators to study the rural development of Ireland while also learning about fisheries and agri-tourism.
In addition to her Corteva internship, Bordner has completed three other internships in her career, including at Ag Reliant Genetics, as a production agriculture marketing intern with John Deere, and as a sales and marketing agronomic intern at LG Seeds. She was a 10-year 4-H member and served as the Indiana state FFA northern regional vice president, during which she visited middle and high school classrooms to share her passion for agriculture. As a state FFA officer, she also traveled to Washington, D.C., to discuss agriculture policy issues with representatives.
In addition to Bordner, Ice Miller practice group director Katie Glick was given the Purdue Extension Women in Agriculture Leadership Award and Joelle Orem of Howard County was given their Achievement Award. You can read more about them from the Purdue press release below:
The Purdue Extension Women in Agriculture Leadership Award recognizes a woman in an agribusiness or policymaking position who has actively influenced Indiana agriculture. Katie Glick, practice group director for Ice Miller LLP, was honored with the 2022 award. Glick and her husband, Brett, live on their family farm in Columbus, Indiana, with their two daughters. The family owns and operates their private seed company, L&M Glick Seed, selling corn, soybean and wheat seeds directly to customers and the wholesale market. They also have a cattle operation and grow corn, soybeans, wheat and double crop soybeans.
In 2011, Glick joined the Indiana Soybean Alliance, Indiana Corn Marketing Council and Indiana Corn Growers Association as the public affairs and industry relations director. She worked with industry professionals and lobbied on behalf of Indiana corn and soybean farmers. Glick has served as an advocate for Indiana agriculture throughout her career including presenting at the National FFA conference and writing for a blog and the hometown newspaper. Glick is a 10-year 4-H member and continues to support the Indiana 4-H Foundation and local 4-H efforts in Bartholomew County.
The Purdue Extension Women in Agriculture Achievement Award recognizes women who are directly involved in a home farm operation. Joelle Orem of Howard County is the honoree for 2022. With her husband and family, she helps manage Orem Farms, a beef cattle, grain crops and custom hay production operation. She works with Barn2Door, an e-commerce platform that offers web stores for farmers, as a marketing development expert. Orem helps farmers improve their brand strategy through social media and marketing. She recently joined Purdue Extension’s Women in Agriculture team to assist with event planning and creative projects.
The Purdue Extension Women in Agriculture awards committee was co-chaired by Beth Vansickle, an Extension educator in Madison County, and Lindsey Moore, senior litigation officer at Farm Credit Mid-America. The Purdue Extension Women in Agriculture team provides educational opportunities and resources for women in the agriculture industry and coordinates the Midwest Women in Agriculture conference.
Source: Purdue News Service

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