-Submitted photo
Joanne Roepke Bode, of Kossuth County, at right, received a Women Impacting Agriculture Award Nov. 30 as Madeline Schultz, of ISU Extension, presents her with a gift basket.

AMES — Four women received the Women Impacting Agriculture award for their contributions to Iowa agriculture on Nov. 30 at the seventh annual Iowa Women in Ag Leadership Conference organized by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

The Women Impacting Agriculture recognition honors Iowans who are creating a more sustainable Iowa by improving economic resiliency and stability; conserving natural resources; and being influential agricultural leaders, family members and community volunteers.

The 2022 honorees are Kellie Blair, Joanne Roepke Bode, Melissa O’Rourke and Meredith Nunnikhoven. Past honoree Marilee Jones and extension communications specialist Lisa Scarbrough recognized the honorees and presented them with awards. Farm Credit Services of America is a partnering sponsor of the conference and recognition program.

Award Recipients

Kellie Blair operates Blair Farms with her husband and two children in Webster County. Blair Farms grows corn, soybeans and cereal rye, while also managing a 500-head cow-calf operation and finishing 2,400 head of cattle annually. The Blair farm is committed to the long-term preservation of the family farming business by increasing productivity and profitability through efficient and environmentally conscious management.

-Submitted photo
Kellie Blair, left, of Webster County, was honored with a Women Impacting Agriculture Award Nov. 30. Madeline Schultz, of ISU Extension, presents her with a gift basket.

Blair is well recognized for her practices that build soil health and increase productivity of the soil, including strip-till, no-till and cover crops. Blair Farms conserves soil nutrients with extended rotations and drainage water management. On the cattle side, Blair feels it is important to work directly with the local locker to provide quality beef to local consumers.

Blair is an Iowa State graduate with bachelor’s degrees in forestry and agronomy. She serves as a trustee for the Iowa State University Agricultural Endowment Board. She has contributed to carbon sequestration and smart agriculture working groups and serves as an experienced farmer in a strip-till/no-till discussion group to support others adopting similar practices. She served on the Webster County Extension Council for seven years. She enjoys ISU Extension and Outreach programs and works closely with the extension field agronomists.

Blair Farms earned several awards, including America’s Best Young Farmers from Progressive Farmer, Iowa Environmental Leader Award through Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, and Environmental Stewardship Award from Iowa Cattlemen’s Association. Blair received the New Leader Award from the Iowa Soybean Association and the Growing Leaders Recognition from Iowa State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

She is an active philanthropist in the agriculture industry. She hosts field days for Iowa Learning Farms to help others learn about conservation practices and is a Common Ground advocate for agriculture. In her community, Blair is actively involved in church leadership and kid’s activities.

Joanne Roepke Bode is a proud promoter of Iowa agriculture in Kossuth County. Her family operates the specialty crop business, Bode’s Moonlight Gardens. After growing and selling produce for several years, Bode and her family were mentored into the pumpkin business by neighbors who were ready to retire. She is passionate about engaging with her community and youth around food and farming. She enjoys introducing people to new produce and recipes. Her social media pages educate and advocate for local agriculture by sharing daily activities on the farm. She hosts a pumpkin patch each October with several community outreach events.

Bode is an Iowa State graduate with a bachelor of science in journalism and mass communication. She was actively involved in the Iowa State University Extension Lead Community Visioning Project completed in Algona in 2022 and continues working to implement the plans. Bode is a frequent attendee at Algona Chamber Coffees hosted at the Kossuth County extension office and attends Women in Ag programs when they are available. Local extension uses her farm as an example to showcase to gardeners, value-added ag operators, and traditional farmers that extension is a valuable and cost-efficient resource.

In her leadership work, Bode is the organizer of the Kossuth County Farmers Market and fosters its growth. She is a past board member of the Iowa Specialty Crop Growers Association, recently joined the board of Healthy Harvest of North Iowa, and has worked with Practical Farmers of Iowa to host north Iowa horticulture meet ups.

Bode is an enthusiastic asset to every committee and event in her community. She volunteers for the Frostbite Olympics and developed the Algona Young Professionals Organization with the Algona Area Economic Development Corporation. She has served on the Algona Chamber of Commerce board, and was part of a team that created the World Food Festival, an event that occurs during Algona’s Founders Day.

Other recipients of the Women Impacting Agriculture Award were Meredith Nunnikhoven, owner of Barnswallow Flowers, a sustainable fresh-cut flower farm located in Mahaska County; and Melissa O’Rourke of Winneshiek County. O’Rourke recently retired from her position at Iowa State, where she served as a farm and agribusiness management specialist for 13 years.