As we wrap up 2025, I’ve been spending some time looking back at what resonated most with readers on Pride In Agriculture.
Substack has brought many new readers this year, and I realize you may not have been around when some of these pieces were first published. So rather than letting them live in an archive or waiting for you to find them via Google, I thought I’d bring them back up in this Top 5 recap.
These are the top five posts people kept discovering and sharing this year, and they reflect the resources we’re building for LGBTQ+ community members and allies in agriculture and rural areas.
If you’re new to Pride In Ag, these posts are a great place to start and catch up on the conversations and resources we’re building here.
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Challenges of being LGBTQ in rural communities
This is one of the earlier posts I published, and it continues to serve as a foundation for so many conversations.
The Movement Advancement Project (MAP) has published one of the more prominent data sources we have that begins to estimate how many LGBTQ+ people live in rural communities and examines some of the challenges we face when it comes to visibility, safety, and belonging.
If you haven’t read this one, it lays the foundation for much of the work that has followed and is to come. Click here to read more.
Embracing My Identity and Inclusion in Agriculture | Stuart Chutter
From the early beginnings of Pride In Agriculture, one of my goals has been to add visibility to the many ways LGBTQ+ people are present and are leaders in agriculture and rural communities.
Stuart Chutter’s story continues to resonate with readers. He shares what it’s looked like to embrace his identity, live authentically, and stay rooted in agriculture and community along the way.
Read more of Stuart’s story and many of the other LGBTQ+ perspectives from Pride In Ag.
Pride Cow Pins | Fostering Allyship in Agriculture
Allyship looks different for everyone, and part of this work is figuring out what feels meaningful and sustainable for you.
Allies play a critical role here. Often, they’re able to be visible and speak up in ways others may not yet feel safe doing. Taliah Danzinger in Wisconsin created Pride Cow Pins as a way for people in the dairy space to visibly signal allyship in a simple way to say, this is a safe place.
I love this story because it shows that allyship doesn’t always require big statements. Sometimes it’s a visual cue that lets someone know they’re not alone.
Read more about the origins of Pride Cow Pins here, along with other ally stories.
Diversity and Belonging Make Agriculture Stronger
This piece came from a moment when DEI conversations were (and still are) under heavy criticism in the broader political climate.
I wanted to pull the focus back to what diversity and belonging actually do for agriculture and rural communities. This includes how diversity strengthens communities and how belonging helps people stay, contribute, and lead where they want to be.
Catch up on this article that tends to resonate with both LGBTQ+ readers and allies.
Responding to Push-Back on DEI in Agriculture
Rounding out the top five is a post that grew from conversations I’ve seen and the tools I’ve gained from personal experiences.
As DEI faces increasing pushback, especially in rural spaces, many people aren’t sure how to respond without escalating conflict or shutting down dialogue altogether. Drawing from my background in advocacy and communications, I shared a few practical tools for navigating those moments and understanding when and how to engage.
If you’re looking for some conversational tools to help navigate challenging moments, check out this resource.
Looking ahead to 2026
It wasn’t intentional, but it’s not lost on me that these top five posts also reflect the areas where I hope to continue growing Pride In Agriculture in the year ahead: research-based resources, lived experiences, visible allyship, and practical conversation tools.
If you’d like to share your story and experiences as a member of the LGBTQ+ community or as an ally, take a few moments to complete this form. I’ll use these responses for future stories.
If you’re part of an Employee Resource Group or have access to tools that support inclusive conversations, I’d also love to connect and learn how we can better translate and share those experiences with rural and agricultural communities.
The growing library of Resources at Pride In Ag is proving to be a useful tool for those of us navigating these conversations in real time.
Or if you’d like to be more visible in your story this year, check out the Pride In Ag merch store for t-shirts and more. There are also Pride In Ag stickers available. All proceeds go toward helping these resources reach the people who need them.
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