As 123 countries worldwide celebrate the International Year of the Woman Farmer in 2026, we’d like to introduce women with CALS ties who are leading the way in agriculture.
Meet an Extension agent, entrepreneur, industry research leader, nutrition scientist and family business builder who are shaping the future.
Andrea Gibbs has a finger on farming’s pulse as an Extension agent for field crops in Hyde County. An inaugural member of the N.C. Plant Sciences Extension Agent Network, she connects farmers with the latest research and technology, and provides scientists with feedback from users in the field. With NC State and East Carolina University scientists, Gibbs is exploring how real-time data from sensors can help coastal farmers make decisions. For instance, knowing the water and salinity levels in canals and ditches could enable farmers to prevent crop damage from excess water and saltwater intrusion.
Current role:
- Hyde County Extension agent, field crops
- N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative Extension Agent Network
NC State connections:
- B.S. in animal science, M.S. in agricultural and extension education
Christina Phillips is in her element directing pork production research and a new extension department for Smithfield Foods. She’s led the N.C. Pork Council as president, as well as research on upcycling baked goods in pig feed to reduce food waste and provide a corn alternative. With ag scholarships, she earned animal science and swine nutrition degrees at NC State. After completing a Ph.D. in
animal welfare in Minnesota, she landed a job at Smithfield, near her hometown of Wallace, North Carolina, where she and her husband raise their family.
Current role:
- Senior director of research and extension, Smithfield Foods
NC State connections:
- B.S. in animal science, M.S. in swine nutrition
Pam Marrone has achieved breakthroughs with biologicals in 30 years of developing naturally derived products to control agricultural pests and boost plant health. She’s founded four companies, taking Marrone Bio Innovations public on NASDAQ, something only 32 women have done. She’s commercialized more than a dozen products, reaching farm fields and Walmart shelves. With 82 U.S. patents, Marrone is a National Inventors Hall of Fame inductee. What’s next? Exploring biological control of invasive species and advising businesses, particularly women-owned companies.
Current role:
- Co-founder, executive chair, Invasive Species Corporation, Invasive Species Institute
NC State connections:
- Ph.D. in entomology
- Member , North Carolina Agricultural and Life Sciences Research Foundation Board and N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative Commercialization Council
Research chemist Ondulla Toomer studies how peanuts and peanut skins can be used as functional food or feed ingredients. Her research focuses on improving the nutritional content of poultry meat and eggs intended for human consumption by feeding peanuts and peanut skins in poultry diets. This work potentially transforms 40 to 70 million pounds of peanut skins annually from waste into value-added products that improve human and animal health.
Current role:
- Research chemist, USDA Agricultural Research Service
- Adjunct professor, Prestage Department of Poultry Science and Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences
Selling sweetpotatoes to customers on the East Coast and exporting them to Europe and the U.K. is all in a day’s work for Taylor Rhodes Hill, sales and marketing manager at J. Roland Wood Farms in Benson, N.C. She’s the third generation to join the business started by her grandparents, where she applies strategies from her agribusiness degree at NC State and master’s at Mississippi State. One example: Using data analytics, she created a model to determine the farm’s optimal balance of domestic and exported sweetpotato sales.
Current role:
- Sales and marketing manager, J. Roland Wood Farms
NC State connections:
- B.S. in agricultural business management
- First scholarship recipient, Gordon Family Farm-to-Philanthropy Program
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