Farmer Jaclyn Wilson shared a western perspective in southeast Asia

Good morning Vietnam!

OK, truth be told, it’s evening, but it is morning back in Nebraska, so I’m hoping I can beg for forgiveness. It has been an absolute whirlwind couple of days since I left the ranch. I headed out Saturday morning in the dark and made it to Denver International Airport to grab a direct 11-hour flight to Tokyo.

I made the “mistake” upon arrival in Tokyo when I headed to the ticket counter for my next flight. While trying to get a seat change, I found out that there was a mistake on my visa to Vietnam, and I was informed that I would not be allowed to get onto the flight.

My stress the last couple of weeks had already been sky-high, and needless to say, that did not help with stress management one bit. Fortunately, I had three hours before the flight to Hanoi left, and a lot of great people at the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi not only got clearance from immigration but then had to connect the airlines between Hanoi and Tokyo to make sure I was on the plane.

People do look at you a little strange when you are met at the arrival gate by immigration with a sign with your name on it and then escorted to the counter. Fortunately, within minutes a new visa was issued, and I arrived at the hotel in Hanoi after over 24 hours of travel.

The purpose of this trip was that the United Nations has declared 2026 as the “International Year of the Woman Farmer.” The program is implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the U.S. Mission to ASEAN, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service. With that, Jennie Schmidt, a crop producer from Maryland, and I were invited to come on a whirlwind trip. It involves two full days in Vietnam, a day of travel to Indonesia, and two days in Indonesia before the long trek home.

I fly out first thing in the morning to head to Indonesia, but the Vietnam experience has been very educational and inspirational. On our first full day here, we were met by representatives of the Vietnam Agriculture Newspaper, the U.S. Embassy, U.S. Grain Councils, United Nations and others.

The first stop was the Vietnam Agriculture University, which boasts more than 20,000 students in over a dozen areas of study. There, we participated in the first Forum for the Advancement of Women in Agriculture. With over 10 invited media groups, it was definitely an interesting experience dealing with translators while telling the story of our operation and how technology is utilized in western Nebraska. After presenting, we took part in a round table discussion about different concerns that agriculture faces, focusing specifically on women's representation in the industry.

The university rolled out the red carpet for us. Their dedication to the progression of not only their students, but also how they want to continue to impact communities, was very inspiring.

The second day, we were able to get out into the countryside with around 20 of our media paparazzi. We visited two different cooperatives. One focuses on proteins such as chicken and swine, and the other on medicinal herbs. The cooperative model is one that is gaining traction. With the suburbs of Hanoi still being a metropolis, larger acreages are tough to come by, and in some areas close to 80% of the workforce is female.

It never ceases to amaze me in my travels how interconnected we all really are and how many of the concerns that we have in our own backyard are the same around the world. Topics including weather, economics, market access, market share, succession, and more were familiar.

Trade barriers continue to be a topic of discussion, and I brought it up to a couple of individuals. Unlike some other countries like Australia, we are getting shortchanged on beef tariffs to Vietnam. There is a noticeable lack of protein in the Vietnamese diet, and U.S. beef would look great on more menus.

While jet lag can be a real pain, travel can be stressful, and worrying about things back home can be time-consuming, I’m grateful for the opportunity to visit this part of the world and share a completely different picture of the U.S. beef industry. It’s a picture most here have not even imagined: one of vast lands, family operations, and dedication to increasing efficiencies while providing a safe product to consumers all over the world.

It was also very heartwarming to spend the last two days with so many strong, passion-filled females who are dedicated to improving agriculture. It’s something that I hope only continues to grow.

Next stop, Indonesia.

Jaclyn Wilson is one of two American female farmers invited to attend the "International Year of Woman Farmer" in Vietnam from August 12 - 13, 2024. She operates a fifth-generation cattle and calf operation with her father and was named the 2023 National Beef Producer of the Year.