International Year of the Woman Farmer with Ale Aguirre: From Chile to Virginia

Live from Washington, DC, at the American Farm Bureau ACE Conference, during the International Year of the Woman Farmer, Nicole interviews Chilean farmer and Virginia Tech researcher Ale Aguirre. Aguirre shares her background running a family farm in Coyanco, Chile, previously exporting organic blueberries and hydrangeas worldwide and now focused on alfalfa for local livestock. She is completing a master’s in forestry and natural resource economics while researching the South Native Seed Project, which aims to help historically underserved, veteran, and beginner farmers in southern Virginia diversify into native seed production to meet restoration demand under solar developments; her thesis analyzes financial feasibility and adoption economics. She discusses mentorship from her mother-in-law, women’s roles in farming and hand-harvesting blueberries, labor shortages, differences between Chile and U.S. agriculture, and her goal of bridging research to practical benefits for producers.00:00 Live From DC00:26 Meet Ale Aguirre00:54 Farming In Chile02:34 Virginia Tech Research05:09 Bringing It Home06:56 Accidental Farm Life11:31 Mentorship And Respect13:48 Research For Farmers16:45 Blueberries By Hand19:54 Alfalfa And Differences23:02 Women In Agriculture