Episode #84
From City Girl to Cotton Fields: Sherry Saylor on Servant Leadership
Fill Your Plate Now sits down with Sherry Saylor, a recently retired Buckeye-area farmer, longtime school counselor, and national Farm Bureau leader whose life has connected the farm, the classroom, and the community. Sherry grew up in South Carolina and married Rick, a third-generation Arizona farmer. In the mid-1970s, she moved to the Buckeye farm and learned row-crop farming—cotton, wheat, barley, and alfalfa—at R&S Farms. She shares the culture shock and pleasant surprises of that transition, her fondest memories of decades on the land, and how arriving as a "city girl" shaped the way she talks with the public about agriculture. A former National Chair of the American Farm Bureau Women's Leadership Committee, Sherry reflects on how Farm Bureau shaped her personal growth and her ability to advocate for farmers and ranchers. She also spent roughly 40 years as a guidance counselor at Buckeye Elementary as the community grew, and she talks about what kept her passionate about kids. The conversation turns to water, trade, labor shortages, the food supply chain, and encouragement for today's farmers and ranchers. Sherry also discusses her service with groups like the Way-Out West Drug Coalition and Christian Women's Clubs, and she shares her hopes for how Fill Your Plate Now can keep connecting consumers to the people who grow their food. Central to the episode is her leadership philosophy: shared leadership and servant leadership work best when leaders serve others without worrying about credit and lean on their team's expertise. Sherry explains how that approach developed and how she practiced it on the farm, in schools, and in Farm Bureau. She offers a concrete example of serving first to produce a stronger outcome, plus two or three practical tips on leadership and volunteerism for listeners. Tune in for a grounded conversation about Arizona agriculture, women in Farm Bureau leadership, community service, and why putting others first still builds stronger farms, schools, and food systems. Sherry Saylor | Farmer & Former National Farm Bureau Women's Leadership Chair Arizona Farm and Ranch Museum & Hall of Fame | Shared Leadership and Servant Leadership Article | Fill Your Plate National Leadership Announcement Additional Resources Tammy Baker LinkedIn | Julie Murphree LinkedIn | AZ Milk Producers Website | Arizona Farm Bureau
