LEBANON, Va.—Sarah Wilson’s children often tease that their family is constantly “doing something with hay,” according to Wilson.
“We’re fertilizing hay, we’re mowing hay, we’re raking hay, we’re baling hay, we’re storing hay,” Wilson explained. “Or we’re feeding hay.”
All that hay is essential for feeding the 300 mother cows and their 300 seasonal calves at Leonard Land and Livestock in Russell County. Wilson runs the operation full-time alongside her 87-year-old father, David Leonard.
According to the 2022 Census of Agriculture, farming serves as the main occupation for 8,810 women among Virginia’s more than 25,000 female farmers. Many work as full-time farmers and foresters, establishing impressive records in Virginia’s largest private industries.
The United Nations has designated 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer, prompting the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation to highlight women in agricultural roles throughout the year.
Wilson’s duties change with the seasons.
“We’re trying to get all of our cows’ pregnancies checked, and we’re selling calves while getting heifers and steers shipped out before the end of the year,” she explained in December.
After working in the corporate world, Wilson seized the chance in 2010 to return full-time to the family operation where she was “born and raised.
“It’s where I developed a passion for agriculture and where I really wanted to be,” she noted.
Re-establishing her credibility in agricultural communities took effort after her return as farm operator.
“Sometimes early on, a big decision had to be made, and people would want to call my dad or my husband, Adam,” Wilson laughed. “But being persistent and showing up is a factor in establishing yourself.”
In Southside Virginia, Laura Hudson grew up spending numerous hours fishing and hunting in Halifax County, which instilled in her a respect for natural cycles, knowledge of healthy ecosystems and commitment to forest preservation.
A natural resources class in high school inspired her to pursue fisheries and wildlife conservation at Virginia Tech, along with a forestry minor. Following work in state forestry, she now serves full-time as Southern Piedmont regional supervisor for the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Natural Heritage Program.
Hudson manages stewardship activities on forestland spanning 11 counties in natural areas of statewide importance that DCR has acquired and oversees through the Natural Area Preserve System. The Natural Heritage Stewardship Section works to maintain and improve natural resource value by protecting the region’s biological diversity. Activities include management planning, operations oversight and research.
“We’re also harvesting timber, controlling invasive species and overseeing prescribed burns,” Hudson explained. “Trying to provide for good management on the ground.”
Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that women comprise 14.5% of the nation’s forest and conservation workforce.
Despite men significantly outnumbering women in forestry, “I felt I was always looked at as a peer,” she said.
The complete story appears in winter Cultivate magazine at issuu.com/virginiafarmbureau.
The American Farm Bureau Federation has launched a national Women in Agriculture Study to examine the experiences, leadership paths and needs of women in agriculture. The survey will collect insights from women in production agriculture, agribusiness, education and advocacy through March 31. Participation is available at bit.ly/WomenAgStudy.
Media contacts: Wilson at 276-889-4252; Hudson at 804-786-7951.
