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Women of Beef

Jo Ann Smith: The Florida Rancher Who Became the Cattlemen's First Woman President

From the office of a Florida family ranching business to the presidency of the National Cattlemen's Association and a USDA post.

Who Is Jo Ann Doke Smith?

Jo Ann Doke Smith was born on May 9, 1939, and grew up in Alachua County, Florida, in a pioneer farming and ranching family. In 1985 she became the first woman to serve as president of the National Cattlemen's Association, the national voice of U.S. cattle producers at the time. Her Wikipedia biography and the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame page agree on that milestone and most of her record, though they differ on a few details noted below.

From Bookkeeper to Beef Leader

She began as an accountant and office manager for Smith Brothers Farming, Ranching and Construction Companies in Wacahoota, Florida. Her organizing work started close to home. She served as president of the Florida Cattlewomen's Association from 1970 to 1972, then joined the Florida Beef Council and several USDA advisory committees and task forces during the 1970s. In 1984 she was appointed to the Governor's Task Force on the Future of Florida Agriculture.

First Woman to Lead the National Cattlemen's Association

In 1985 she became the National Cattlemen's Association's first female president. During her tenure she made trade missions to Japan and China intended to open Asian markets to U.S. beef, according to the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame. As the encyclopedia entry also records, the year brought recognition at home: the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services named her Woman of the Year in Agriculture in 1985.

Building the Beef Checkoff

Smith was the founding chair of the Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board, where she helped develop the Beef Checkoff program. The Hall of Fame page describes the program as funded by a mandatory $1 per head assessment at each cattle sale, which at the time the page was written provided about $80 million a year for beef promotion and product development. That figure is the Hall's description and should be read as reported, not as a current number.

Service at the USDA

In 1989 President George H. W. Bush appointed her Assistant Secretary of Marketing and Inspection Services at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a post the Florida page dates to 1989 through 1993. Wikipedia later refers to the job as an under secretary position. The sources differ on that wording, but both place her in a senior federal role overseeing marketing and inspection.

The Key to Her Success

Smith's career runs through a ladder of organizations, each one built on the last. The record shows steady, practical work for the industry rather than a single breakthrough.

A short note on controversy is also part of the documented record, and it follows the list.

  • She started inside a family operation, learning the business side as an accountant and office manager before taking on leadership.
  • She climbed one rung at a time, from the Florida Cattlewomen's Association to the Florida Beef Council to the national association.
  • She took on policy committees early, including USDA advisory groups and a governor's agriculture task force.
  • She helped build the Beef Checkoff, a shared funding system for promotion and research that producers pay into at each sale.
  • She opened export doors through trade missions to Japan and China.
  • A fair note on controversy: Wikipedia reports that her USDA tenure and a later seat on the board of Beef Products Inc. drew attention in 2012 coverage of lean finely textured beef. That is the encyclopedia's account of press coverage, not a finding.

Corporate Boards and Honors

After government service she sat on corporate boards including Purina Mills, Iowa Beef Producers and Tyson Foods. Her honors run through Florida and the national beef community. Progressive Farmer named her Man of the Year in American Agriculture in 1982 and 1988, the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame inducted her in 2005, and the National Ranching Heritage Center gave her its Golden Spur Award in 1990. In 2015 she received the National Cattlemen's Beef Association's Swan Leadership Award and entered both the Meat Industry Hall of Fame and the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame.

Learn More

To follow the business of beef, visit the ranching section of farm.FM. For another look at women leading cattle groups, try a farm.FM story about cattlewomen and industry leaders.

Timeline

  1. 1939Born on May 9 in Alachua County, Florida
  2. 1970Begins two years as president of the Florida Cattlewomen's Association
  3. 1984Appointed to the Governor's Task Force on the Future of Florida Agriculture
  4. 1985Becomes the first woman president of the National Cattlemen's Association
  5. 1989Appointed to a senior USDA marketing and inspection post by President Bush
  6. 1990Receives the Golden Spur Award
  7. 2005Inducted into the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame
  8. 2015Receives the Swan Leadership Award and enters two halls of fame

Frequently asked questions

Who was the first woman president of the National Cattlemen's Association?

Jo Ann Smith of Florida became the first woman to lead the National Cattlemen's Association in 1985, according to the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame.

What is the Beef Checkoff?

It is a program funded by a $1 per head assessment at each cattle sale to pay for beef promotion and research. Smith was founding chair of the board that developed it.

What did Jo Ann Smith do at the USDA?

She was appointed in 1989 as an assistant secretary for marketing and inspection, a role the Florida Hall of Fame lists as running through 1993.

What honors has Jo Ann Smith received?

They include the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame (2005), the Golden Spur (1990) and, in 2015, the Swan Leadership Award, Meat Industry Hall of Fame and National Cowgirl Hall of Fame.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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