Farming remains a male-dominated industry, but Rodgers is doing her best to reverse the image of the stereotypical male farmer. “In the South, as long as you work hard and people see that you’re working hard, they’re gonna take you seriously whether you’re a female or male,” she says. “Especially in the industry that I’m in. So I definitely don’t half-ass anything.”

The beekeeping program began in 2012, when an inmate and former beekeeper at Smith State Prison requested to teach a beekeeping class for his fellow inmates. The program has expanded to a women's prison and five women in the current class have passed their initial certified beekeeper exams and are now working toward taking their journeyman certification test, the next step toward becoming a master beekeeper. They’ll be the first group in Georgia prisons, male or female, to do so.