Jessica Jansen said the contrast between growing up in small-town Vernonia, Ore., and living her high school years in the Portland Metro area “really shaped how I viewed the world from an urban/rural standpoint.”

One of her goals is helping to bridge that divide.

Jansen, now 31, has shepherded the Oregon Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation as its executive director since the age of 22, just after graduation from Oregon State University in 2010.

Prior to taking the position, she had, in order: joined the dairy 4-H and FFA and was a National Honor Society scholar while at Sherwood High School; raised heifer and replacement dairy cows on a small patch of ground in Sherwood; earned degrees in ag sciences and communications from OSU in 2010; was the 2011 Oregon Dairy Princess-Ambassador and currently is active in both Oregon Women for Ag and Oregon Ag Fest.

She also is a past president of the Oregon Dairy Women organization.

But the chief connection to the start of an appreciation for agriculture formed the “most important piece of my story,” she said. “I really credit my grandfather (Tom Budge, a Vernonia forester, now deceased) as being the source of my passion for agriculture, kind of that spark for me, super-supportive and encouraging of my work.

“I credit him for where I started” in agriculture, she added.

Jansen and her husband, Matt, also 31, met at an OSU Oregon Dairy Club social, married after college and now live in Albany with their 1-year-old daughter. Matt graduated with a degree in agricultural sciences and now works in sales at Select Sires.

Though she said she initially “never saw myself in the classroom,” Jansen now proclaims herself “so proud of what we’ve (Oregon AITC) done in education.”

The nonprofit organization’s mission statement centers around the idea that it exists to “help students grow in their knowledge of agriculture,” she said. “We primarily do that through teachers by providing them with tools, resources and knowledge about agriculture so that they then can pass it along to their students.”

“I am so proud of what we’ve done in education,” she said. “I love agriculture, and I love teaching people about it.”

Enhanced by the birth of her daughter and those many years at the foundation, Jansen said she now has a better appreciation for her own passion and skills for “mentoring young women in agriculture.”

She is the current adviser to OSU’s professional agriculture sorority, Sigma Alpha, and noted that mentorship has been a theme throughout her life.

With her daughter, she said that now “hits a lot closer to home.”

With her own professional future is a bit uncertain because of her personal life changes, Jansen said she believes agriculture needs as much outside influence as possible.

“In the agriculture community we need to think outside the box a little bit and realize that a lot of our future agriculturists are not going to be from agriculture,” she said. “Farmers are only 2 percent of our population, so we have to have scientists, researchers and others that form what might be called ‘supporting roles.’

“They need to come from outside (agriculture) because they’re going to bring in a whole different set of roles and ideas and perspectives.”

A Capital Press’ annual special section that highlights the contributions women make in the agricultural sector.

Read the stories of the exceptional women featured Women in Ag 2023:

Erika Ackley: ‘I like the independence of farming’ 

Geri Byrne: ‘I love to organize’ 

Lerrina Collins: Fluent in the language of stockdogs 

April England: ‘It’s not just a job, it’s a life’

Suzanne Gallagher: ‘I love the work, I love the land and I love the cattle’ 

Denise Godfrey: A love of plants, and for the community 

Mary Hood: Shattering ceilings in ag banking 

Sharon Hoyt: A passion for the ranching lifestyle 

Jessica Jansen: ‘I love agriculture, and I love teaching people about it’ 

Jean Kurtz, Ali Rodgers: Telling wine’s story in the Umpqua Valley 

Anne Mitchell: Perseverance pays off 

Lori Moore: A bison believer turns vision into reality 

Keri Roid: Lavender farm a dream come true 

Nicole Sanchez: Taking on new challenges 

Wendy Swore: Staying busy with farming, writing