Deanne Weber stood by a fence line on her 75-acre Maidencreek Township farm Monday morning, a bright-blue sky overhead and warm rays of sun shinning down.
With cattle roaming in the distance behind her and a small creek trickling along a few feet away, Weber smiled widely in the midst of a picturesque, bucolic scene.
But it wasn’t the springlike weather that had Weber beaming — though that likely played a small role — it was getting a chance to chat about her passion.
She spoke excitedly, telling distinguished guests including state Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding, state Sen. Judy Schwank and Berks County Commissioner Christian Leinbach about the trees she had planted in a pasture.
Deanne Weber, owner of Willow Run Farmstead and a third-generation farmer, converted the farm from a crop rotation farm into a beef farm. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
There were persimmons, poplars, willows and white oaks. While still small at the moment, the trees will eventually provide Weber’s cattle with shade during hot summer days.
“My cattle are black and they don’t like the sun; they just soak up the heat,” she said.
The trees will also provide a bit of food for the cattle — they’ll eat the persimmons and acorns — and help the earth soak up rainwater before it runs off into the creek.
“The root systems can just soak up that water that’s coming from all over my land,” she said.
The additions of the trees — known as a silvopasture — is one of several new features added by Weber, a third-generation farmer, since she took over ownership of Willow Run Farmstead in 2016, converting it from a crop rotation farm into a beef farm.
And it wouldn’t have been possible without the help of state and local funding, Weber said.
Neither would the new fencing, the buffer area created around the creek, a cattle bridge over that creek or the buried water lines on the property.
“There was a lot of local and state funding that came in to make my business what it is today,” Weber said.
Deanne Weber, owner of Willow Run Farmstead, speaks about her farming experiences during a press conference at the farm in Maidencreek Township on Monday, March 9, 2026. With her are, from left, state Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding, state Deputy Agriculture Secretary Heidi Secord, Hannah Smith Brubaker of Pennsylvania Sustainable Agriculture, state Sen. Judy Schwank and Berks County Department of Agriculture executive director Kim Fies. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
Redding said the public and private partnerships that have benefited Weber are exactly the kind that are needed to support agriculture across the state.
“You can’t look around at this farm — or quite frankly, any farm — and not think about partnerships,” he said.
And more and more, Redding said, those partnerships are involving women like Weber.
The secretary’s visit to Willow Run Farmstead looked to highlight that fact, serving as a celebration of Women’s History Month and the United Nation’s designation of 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer.
Redding said the agriculture industry can’t work without women. From their leadership in government to owning and operating farms to managing supply lines to providing education and mentorships, they are vital leaders, he said.
“They’re all part of this network,” Redding said, adding that 35% of farm producers are women.
That includes Schwank, Redding said, who has a long and deep history in the world of agriculture.
Schwank said she has seen the industry change a lot over the past several decades, and for the better.
She recalled attending Penn State University for horticulture and sitting in her very first class about soil. The male professor questioned her, asking why a girl was interested in the then male-dominated field.
Schwank said the industry felt limited for women back then, but things are changing.
“I see such a paradigm shift in agriculture,” she said, adding that more and more woman have become leaders in the industry. “Deanne is the face of that.”
Hannah Smith Brubaker, executive director of Pennsylvania Sustainable Agriculture, agreed, saying that farms like Willow Run Farmstead are examples of how women-led farms can push the industry forward.
“They’re driving innovation and growth,” she said.
Deanne Weber, owner of Willow Run Farmstead and a third-generation farmer, converted the farm from a crop rotation farm into a beef farm. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
That innovation and growth is crucial in places like Berks, according to Kimberly Fies, executive director of the county’s agriculture department.
The county has a $1 billion agriculture industry and is home to 850 parcels of conserved farmland. And women like Weber are key to making sure the industry remains strong for years to come.
“Deanne is a shinning example of what our next wave of women farmers will be,” she said. “Her vision is all-encompassing.”