July 2023 issue of the Farmworx Magazine

Women in Agriculture Spotlight
With With Darleen Emily Degner Lawler
Emily Lawler is proof that women
can do all things in agriculture. She is
currently residing at her family farm,
where she isn’t afraid to get her hands
dirty to get work done.
Q- Tell me about your career in agriculture.
A- I am a farmer; I work for my dad
on the family farm near Clare. We are
a row crop operation raising corn and
soybeans. I am also a truck driver, so
during the winter and part of the summer
when we are not actively in the
field, I contract haul grain for the local
cooperatives to the processing plants.
Q- What inspired you to have a career
in agriculture?
A- I was fortunate enough to grow
up on a family farm, so I have been surrounded
by agriculture my whole life.
The older I got the more I came to appreciate
the beauty in agriculture, and
my passion for it grew from there.
Q- What could we find you doing in
your free time?
A- What is free time? Haha- I love
spending time with my friends and family.
I also enjoy hiking and working on
my motorcycles.
Q-What would you say to women
looking to build a career in the ag industry?
A- Go for it! There are so many different
facets to the agricultural industry
that can provide you with great opportunities
and experiences. Before I
returned full time to the family farm, I
interned and worked in a few different
areas of the industry, which were all
great learning experiences. I was lucky
enough to have met a lot of good people
along the way.
NEW Cooperative, Inc. is a farmer-owned grain, agronomy, energy and
feed cooperative headquartered in Fort Dodge, Iowa.
As a leading agriculture retailer, NEW Cooperative is focused on being an
innovative and efficient provider of today’s agriculture markets and
services to 8,000 members throughout their 60 locations in Iowa.
July 2023
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