A Texas A&M graduate student is highlighting the stories of women in agriculture through her podcast, Ag Chicks.
Ally Spears, an agricultural leadership, education, and communications (ALEC) graduate student and poultry science program coordinator at Texas A&M University, started her podcast in April 2020 to learn more about agricultural careers.
“I started Ag Chicks to learn more about potential careers in the agricultural industry,” Spears said. “However, once starting, it became a way to highlight women in agriculture who are helping to feed the world and tell their unique stories.”
New Ag Chicks podcast episodes are released every Tuesday. Spears has a guest on the show every other week, which have included mainstream agricultural influencers and new small business owners.
“The content of Ag Chicks ranges depending on my guest; however, it has one thing in common every episode,” Spears said. “I highlight women in ag, or ag chicks, who are working hard to help feed the world.”
Spears said her favorite episode featured her own mother and focused on her family’s farming and ranching heritage.
“My intended audience ranges from anyone looking to know more about agriculture to those heavily involved in the industry,” Spears said. “I try to format each episode in a way that appeals to a broad spectrum of audience.”
In the future, Spears wants to further engage her audience and allow them to interact with guests and each other. She also wants to expand her audience reach for her podcast.
“I hope to continue to grow my audience and guest reach as well as expand into a less ag-knowledgeable audience,” Spears said.
Spears is set to graduate with her Ph.D. in 2024, and she said she hopes to continue her work into the future.
“Upon graduation, I hope to teach a consumer education course to help agriculture students understand how to communicate with general consumers,” Spears said. “I would also like to continue to engage in public speaking opportunities to share about agriculture and the women involved in the industry.”
