Beth Ford’s first job paid $2 an hour. Early in the morning, she climbed on the school bus to pick corn with other kids in Sioux City, Iowa, who did it as their summer jobs.
“Back then, two dollars an hour, that was real money,” Ford told CNN’s Poppy Harlow on the latest episode of The Boss Files.
Now the first female CEO of Land O’Lakes and the first openly gay female CEO on the Fortune 500 list of America’s largest companies, Ford remembers a conversation with her mother years ago that told She said “while we may not have it all,” we are enough and given what we have, people expect a lot from us. ”
“She said, ‘Do you understand what’s expected of you? Do you understand how much is expected of you? Don’t disappoint,’ and I was like, ‘I have to work hard not to disappoint,'” Ford said.
Ford had a vision for Land O’Lakes. She hopes to change people’s perceptions of the butter and cream company and refocus attention on its efforts in the agtech space.
“My vision is to continue investing in technology,” she said. “You have to be agile. E-commerce, e-commerce and technology are disrupting all industries, including agriculture, and when you have an insights-driven, technology-focused company, there are opportunities, like I believe Land O’ Lakes is the same.”
The future of Land O’Lakes
In July, the United States imposed tariffs on $34 billion worth of Chinese imports, a move China called the start of “the largest trade war in economic history.” China responded by imposing tariffs on billions of dollars worth of U.S. exports, including cotton, dairy products and soybeans.
“Grain farmers, growers and producers across the United States are impacted by the uncertainty caused by trade negotiations and retaliatory tariffs,” Ford said. “Export market access is critical for these farmers and the agricultural industry, and due to the trade environment With the uncertainty, we are seeing a slowdown in the export market.”
Ford said she has spoken with soybean farmers and others concerned about the politics of tariffs.
“I will tell you that our farmer members support understanding that the government is trying to take action on intellectual property theft,” she said. “They want to make sure there’s a proper trade deal, and I think they’re supportive of that.”
Most importantly, she said, these farmers need decisions and clarification as soon as possible.
“Time is of the essence,” she said. “So what’s the most important thing the government can do? They can move quickly and address these trade issues and tariff issues.”
When news of Ford’s promotion to CEO came out, the press release celebrated her accomplishments but didn’t specifically mention the important “firsts” in Fortune 500 history.
With Ford’s promotion, she became the first openly gay female CEO to lead a Fortune 500 company.
In the months since, she’s heard from people about how much this “first” meant to them.
“People come up to me and say, ‘Thank you,'” she said. “Not just the LGBTQ community, but people in general life say, ‘Thank you for being who you are and encouraging others to do the same.'”
Ford said she has never encountered discrimination in her career, but she certainly considers the potential impact on herself and her family.
“I made thoughtful decisions about places that I felt might not be friendly,” she said. “I said, ‘This job looks great. You’re a great leader. I can’t come here because I don’t think it’s going to be good. My spouse is a woman and I have a daughter.”
Given the declining proportion of female CEOs in the Fortune 500, she said real progress can only be made if the overall number of female leaders increases – something she sees as a “shared responsibility” between management teams and their talent development plans.
On her path to the C-suite, she recalled an important lesson from her mother: “Beth, if you want something, ask for it.”
“You expect you’ll be recognized for the hard work you’ve put in, but that’s not always the case,” Ford said.