Beth Ford: Rural America's Problems Are a 'National Security Issue'

In this episode of Leadership Next, Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt have a wide-ranging conversation with the CEO of Land O’Lakes, Beth Ford. The farmer-owned cooperative has been hit by the coronavirus pandemic in some pretty unique ways. For instance, with nobody flying, airlines don’t need all of those mini tubs of Land O’Lakes butter. So what do you do with all of that butter?  Ford’s supply chain team has been hard at work on some creative solutions. 

The pandemic has also shone a spotlight on an issue that Ford has been focused on since she became CEO: improving rural America’s access to the internet.  Remote learning and telemedicine can’t happen without broadband. And, poor connectivity keeps farmers from utilizing the high-tech tools and big data applications that allow them to increase productivity and yield.  Ford wants everyone to realize this is not just a problem for rural America – if the communities keeping us fed are not strong, we all suffer. 

Other topics discussed include: why the Supreme Court’s decision to protect LBGTQ employees from discrimination was so important to Ford, how Land O’Lakes responded to the killing of George Floyd, and how working from home has changed Ford’s relationships at work. 

Also in the episode, Fortune’s Beth Kowitt puts Ford’s leadership in context – she goes about her work in a relatively low-key way, but the difference she’s making in rural communities is anything but understated.