From Local Roots to Global Impact: Women in Agriculture

Year of the Woman Farmer Lecture

Pam Johnson is a sixth‑generation Northern Iowa farmer and longtime advocate for agriculture and rural communities. After beginning her career as a registered nurse in Minneapolis, she returned to Iowa to farm alongside her husband for more than five decades, raising corn, soybeans, and hogs while building a multigenerational family operation now led by their sons and families. A respected national and international leader, Johnson has served as Chair of the Iowa Corn Promotion Board, the first woman President of the National Corn Growers Association, a founding member and Vice President of the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, and President of MAIZALL, the international alliance of corn grower leaders from the U.S., Argentina, and Brazil. Her service also includes roles with the U.S. Grains Council, CommonGround, and the Global Farmer Network. Johnson has been a key voice in securing congressional support for agricultural research, advancing the 2014 Farm Bill, and strengthening global market opportunities. Guided by her enduring pillars—faith, family, friends, and the farm—she remains committed to elevating the voice of farmers and addressing the challenges and opportunities shaping agriculture today.

This lecture recording can be found on the Available Recordings page approximately two business days after the event and will remain accessible for three weeks.