Land O’Lakes CEO Beth Ford, from the cornfield to the C-suite

Beth Ford’s first job paid $2 an hour. Early in the morning, she boarded the school bus to go to Ditsel Corn to join other kids in Sioux City, Iowa, who did it as a summer job.

“At that time, two dollars an hour, that was real money,” Ford told CNN’s Poppy Harlow on the latest episode of The Boss Files.

Now, as the first female CEO of Land O’Lakes – and the first openly gay female CEO on the Fortune 500 list of the largest American companies – Ford remembers a conversation she had with her mother years ago that taught her That “though we may not have everything, we have enough, and considering what we had, much was expected of us.”

“She said, ‘Do you understand what is expected of you? Do you understand how much you have? Don’t get discouraged,’ and I said, ‘I have to work hard not to get discouraged,'” Ford says.

Ford has a vision for the Land O’Lakes. She wants to change people’s perception of the butter and cream company and focus its efforts in the ag-tech sector.

“My goal is to continue investing in technology,” she says. “You have to be nimble. E-commerce and e-business and technology are disrupting all industries, including agriculture, and there is an opportunity when you have an insight-driven, technology-focused company, as I believe Land O’ It’s Lex.

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.” In response, China imposed tariffs on billions of dollars of US exports, including cotton, dairy and soybeans.

“Grain farmers, growers and producers across the United States are all impacted by the ongoing uncertainty surrounding trade negotiations and retaliatory tariffs,” Ford says. “Access to export markets is vital for these farmers and the agriculture industry and we are seeing a downturn due to uncertainty in the trade environment.”

Ford says he has talked to soybean farmers and others concerned about tariff politics.

“I will tell you that our farmer members are helpful in understanding that the administration is trying to do something on intellectual property theft,” she says. “They want to make sure they have fair trade agreements, and I think they’re supportive.”

“Timing is of the essence,” she says. “So what is the most important thing the administration can do? They can move quickly and resolve these trade issues and resolve those tariff issues.

When Ford’s promotion to CEO was announced, the press release celebrated his accomplishments, but made no specific mention of a significant “first” 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 saying how much that “first” meant to them.

“People came up to me and said, ‘Thank you,'” she says. “And it’s not just the LGBTQ community, it’s just people in their normal lives saying, ‘Being your authentic self and helping others do the same. Thanks for the encouragement.'”

Ford says he has never faced discrimination in his career, but he has certainly considered its potential impact on himself and his family.

“I made conscious decisions about some places where I thought it wouldn’t be as favorable,” she says. “I said, ‘The job sounds great. You’re an amazing leader. “Can’t be because I don’t think it would be very good, my wife is a woman and I have a daughter.”

Thinking about the declining percentage of female CEOs in the Fortune 500, she says progress can’t truly be made until the overall number of female leaders increases – something she recommends for management teams and their talent development programs. Viewed as “shared responsibility”.

On that path to the C-suite, she once again remembers an important lesson from her mother: “Beth, if you need something, ask for it.”

“You expect to be recognized because you’ve worked hard, and in reality that’s not always the case,” Ford says.