Julia Eberhart’s path to agriculture may have been different from our other features, but her impact is undeniable. Growing up in rural South Dakota and Minnesota, Julia was exposed to farming early, but it wasn’t until she began working for Fargo-based AgriTech company, Bushel, that she developed, or rather rediscovered, a deep connection to the world of agriculture. Now, as a public relations specialist at Bushel, she helps tell the story of how technology and farming intersect, allowing farmers to manage their operations more efficiently. Her journey is a great representation of how those in agriculture who might not be getting their hands dirty all the time, are still making a significant impact in the sustainability, growth, and innovation of agriculture.
A Different Perspective
Though Julia grew up around farming, it wasn’t initially part of her career plan. She grew up in rural South Dakota, her father farming a variety of crops. Farming was a part of her life, but it was never a handson experience, she never felt that her family pushed her to continue farming or a career in agriculture, even if that’s not a common mindset for family farms. But that’s not to say she doesn’t bring her own perspective to the agriculture world now—in fact, she is able to look at agriculture and modern farming a bit differently because of both her and her husband’s nontraditional (but traditionally influenced) view on the industry
“There has been a generational shift. Just the perception of what farming is as a career and what farming means to individuals with the advancements in technology, with the mindset that it’s a business… Growing up, my husband had to help out with the farm, and he thought, ‘No way am I ever going to farm.’ Then, he came back and he realized what he liked most about it were the business aspects,” Julia said. “There’s been a shift in how farming is perceived, not just outside in the world, but also to farmers themselves. And certainly, I didn’t grow up super hands-on, but close enough in understanding.”
After pursuing mass communications at the University of South Dakota, Julia worked in various positions in marketing and public relations, eventually finding her way to Bushel about three and a half years ago. It was here that her career took a turn back towards agriculture.
While she did expand her career before starting at Bushel, she still never fully evaded the agriculture world—she married into a farming family. Her husband farms north of Pollock, SD, and south of Bismarck, ND, on the Missouri River. But once she started at Bushel, even after years of marriage, she found new areas to connect with her husband. He had actually used the software, Bushel Farm (formally FarmLogs), as well as the Bushel-powered app with his local elevator before Julia even started at the company.
“My job at Bushel provided a way for my husband and I to actually talk much deeper about his farm,” Julia said. “I started caring a lot more about what was happening with the farming operations.”
Innovating Ag Through Tech
At Bushel, Julia works to promote software solutions that modernize how farmers and agribusinesses operate. Tools like Bushel’s farm management apps help streamline processes, from digitizing scale tickets to improving payment systems. This is especially important as farmers begin expecting the same convenience and digital tools in agriculture that they see in other industries.
“Overall, one thing that Bushel sees when it comes to farmer adoption of new technologies and how farmers view trying new things— they’re vastly underestimated. We see that farmers are willing to try new things. Typically, it’s actually the agribusiness trying to figure out how they [can] change their processes and how they work differently,” Julia said. “We have data on how farmers view technology on ‘if there’s value.’ Farming is unique in the sense of, its large volume of business, but also very tight margins. So, they need to really see that value and how it’s going to impact that sliver margin.”
Julia’s passion lies with how new technology is reshaping farming. From digitizing processes to integrating payment systems, for Julia, the future of agriculture lies in finding ways to make farm operations more efficient and secure.
Learn more about Bushel and Julia’s work at bushelpowered.com
A Woman in Agriculture
Again, there’s no denying that the world of ag might have traditionally been male-dominated—Julia pointed out that there have been women alongside those men on the farm for just as long. In the grand scheme of agriculture right now, Julia said the conversation is not only around women entering ag but around new farmers, in general, entering the industry. And that, she’s excited about.
“I’m glad I ended up in the agriculture industry. I’ve industryhopped and certainly like ag, but the first industry that I really wanted to stay in was agriculture,” Julia said. “I think it’s a special time to be here. I think that there’s a lot of opportunities. There’s a new shift in the way agriculture is perceived, both outside of farming and, frankly, inside of farming. We’re going to see incredible things over my generation to the next one of what farming actually looks like. We talk a lot about sustainable farming, not just from the sense of climate-smart, but also, how does your family keep farming? How do you keep the family farm, but also, how does a first-generation farmer get in?”
She may not have had hands-on farming experience growing up, but Julia’s role in agriculture has allowed her to bridge the gap between technology and farming operations. Her experience is a fantastic showcase that there are many ways to be part of agriculture as she continues to champion innovation and help farmers succeed in a quickly evolving, tech-forward industry
Julia said it best on the topic of women in agriculture, as well as the future of it:
“Be open-minded about what a farmer looks like.”
