Meryl Kennedy-Farr of Kennedy Rice Mill opened the eyes of many male students when she discussed women’s involvement in the fields during World War I and World War II.

Kennedy-Farr, vice president of marketing and sales director at Kennedy Rice Mill Managing Partners, picked her topic by doing research on the time period and women’s roles.

When she discovered how involved women were not just in factory work, but in farming as well, she became intrigued.

One major difference between now and the past is the fact that women don’t have to wear uniforms that set them apart from men.

Kennedy-Farr’s degree is in international affairs, but she said, “I often joke and say I should have been a business major, but despite my degree I can hold an intelligent conversation with people around the world and I sell rice globally.”

Kennedy-Farr grew up in Mer Rouge, La., and was “always riding the fields with her dad growing up.”

She chose to sell rice because of her father’s passion for it and her family’s history with it.

Houston Fortenberry, a sophomore agriculture business management major, said Kennedy-Farr’s speech opened his eyes and made him realize how biased he had been.

“After hearing her speech, I realized that women did a lot more than I thought they did,” Fortenberry said.

Ridge Creech, a sophomore agriculture business major, said, “Women today are just as efficient as the women in the past, and possibly more so.”

Creech believes that a woman can do just as well in the agriculture scene as any man.

Kennedy-Farr was the last of three speakers brought to ULM in honor of Women’s History Month.

[nggallery id=51]