In 2020, the agriculture brands at Annex Business Media collaborated to launch Influential Women in Canadian Agriculture (IWCA), a recognition program that honours women in various agricultural roles – producers, entrepreneurs, researchers and more – who are changing the game, raising the standard and making waves in the world of agriculture.
Over the years, the program has recognized internationally lauded horticultural researchers and soil scientists, trailblazing farm founders, passionate advocates bringing ag to the masses, independent agronomists who have taken unconventional career paths and more. Their stories have been shared through podcasts, the IWCA Summit, digital magazines and more.
Over the years, the positive feedback, collaboration and overall success of the program has been heartening. But underneath it all, one of the most dynamic and exciting aspects of IWCA has been witnessing the connections between the honourees. Some of the most valuable discussions haven’t been in the event panels or on the podcast recordings, but in the dry runs or the email chains leading up to the event. The most valuable takeaway from IWCA has always been connection and conversation.
So this year, we tried something new – our first-ever digital roundtables with our 2026 IWCA honourees. We’re calling it the Conversation Series – pieces of conversations from across our two distinct roundtables that took place in June and July 2026. With the Power Point presentations and scripted questions stripped away, the Conversation Series follows two semi-structured conversations between our agriculture editors and the honourees – no rehearsal, no time limit, no stones unturned.
Follow the series here.
The first conversation
Recorded in June 2026, the first of the Conversation Series was moderated by agriculture editor Bree Rody. Featuring IWCA 2026 honourees Margaret Hudson, Jennifer Woike, Susan Ainsworth and Tori Waugh, the first conversation discussed pathways into agriculture and shared goals before diving head-first into some of the heavier stuff – like climate concerns, political instability, and the ways in which women bear a unique and at times disproportionate load.
The speakers
Tori Waugh, executive director and co-founder of the Ontario Soil Network. Raised in the GTA and finding her way to agriculture later in life. “I went to university for the wrong thing, but ended up in agriculture nonetheless.” She spent her twenties learning how to farm and manage farms, before beginning to work on the conservation side of things, where she fostered a passion for soil. “If soil is a part of your resources, it’s a huge part of your resources – and it doesn’t care what kind of operation you have.”
Margaret Hudson, president and CEO of Burnbrae Farms. Raised in Eastern Ontario, Hudson has had an obsession with agriculture since childhood. “I grew up gathering eggs in a chicken barn – it was my first major job.” As a teenager, she became more entrusted with the business side of the operation, but she’s felt the connection in her since her childhood. “People probably don’t really understand how connected farmers become to the land.”
Susan Ainsworth, general manager of the Keystone Potato Producers Association and owner of Stolen Glance Agronomy. Ainsworth grew up on an acreage, but had no real farming background in her family. “Being a child that grew up on an acreage, exploring the outdoors, I knew I was passionate about the outdoors.”
Jennifer Woike, egg producer and president of the B.C. Agriculture Council. Woike started her career in healthcare and jokes that she sees herself as “marrying into ag,” but grew up on a hobby farm, loving horses in her youth. “I still don’t know if I’ve ended up where I’m supposed to end up,” she says, laughing. “my oldest is in his thirties, and he’s like, ‘Mom, I’m a bit nervous [about my future].’ And I’m like, ‘I still don’t know what I want to do when I grow up!’ You just know it’ll come – I’ve done a lot of different things.”
Moderator Bree Rody is editor of Manure Manager, Drainage Contractor and Potatoes in Canada magazines, and is currently serving as interim editor of Fruit and Vegetable magazine. A trade journalist for more than 10 years, Rody was “adopted” into the ag world in 2020 after years covering entertainment, media, technology and advertising.
The talks
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
The second conversation
Recorded in July 2026, the second of the Conversation Series was moderated by agriculture editor Kaitlin Berger. Featuring IWCA 2026 honourees Coreen Franke, Wen Chen, Margaret Hudson and Andria Jones, this conversation explored the importance of combatting misinformation in agriculture, the barriers women face in the industry, the importance of research, education and mentorship – and more.
The speakers
Coreen Franke is a plant pathologist with a primary focus on plant breeding for disease resistance in canola at Nutrien Ag Solutions Research and Development in Saskatoon, Sask. “I think the first time I probably ever set foot on a farm was maybe in my late teens or early 20s, so I didn’t know anything about agriculture. What I did know is that I always loved nature.” She completed her undergraduate degree in Prairie Ecology and stumbled into a summer job as a provincial entomologist at the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture. “The message to any girls out there that are city kids and, you know, don’t have an agricultural background, you don’t really need one to make a difference in agriculture.”
Wen Chen is a research scientist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in Ottawa, Ont. “I am also a city girl. My hometown is called Chongqing, so it’s in China. It’s the biggest municipality in China. It has 30 million people, so it’s the entire population of Canada.” She moved from undergraduate studies in pharmaceutical sciences to molecular biology research to microbiology and eventually bioinformatics. “I think it’s just a lot of appreciation because I’m also the first-generation Canadian, and I didn’t grow up here. I came to Canada when I was in my early 30s, so that really makes me feel that this is a welcoming country, and agriculture is the field that I can truly apply my knowledge and skillsets to.”
Margaret Hudson is president and CEO of Burnbrae Farms south of Ottawa, Ont. She has always been deeply connected to her family farm with strong convictions that it remains in the family. Now it’s one of Canada’s leading egg producers. “I don’t think people in agriculture really understand how little others understand and how we need to market all of the great jobs available in agriculture. I grew up on a farm. I didn’t really understand that most people don’t grow up on farms.”
Andria Jones is a professor focused on studying farmer mental health at the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ont., as well as a trained veterinarian and epidemiologist. “I didn’t have any farming experience until I was in veterinary school.” As an early-career faculty member, she started doing research in food-borne, water-borne, and zoonotic diseases on farms. “I got to work with farmers and see agriculture up close and personal, and fell in love with it. I love working with farmers. I learn something no matter who I’m with or what I’m doing.”
Moderator Kaitlin Berger is editor of Top Crop Manager West. She’s always had a strong connection to agriculture, having grown up on a pig and crop farm in southwestern Ontario. Now living in Alberta, she’s discovered the diversity of Canadian farming across different regions and climates. Always an avid reader and writer, her role as editor gives her the opportunity to ask questions about her favourite topic – agriculture.
The talks
Part 5 | Part 6 coming soon…
