WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Institutional and financial barriers have kept farming a traditionally male-dominated industry. However, women continue to make inroads in all aspects of agriculture. The 2017 USDA Census of Agriculture illustrated this proliferation with a reported increase in female farmers and a decrease in male farmers.

Women accounted for 36 percent of the country’s 3.4 million producers. Half of all farms, 56 percent, had a female producer, while 9 percent of farms were run entirely by women. Female-operated farms accounted for 38 percent of U.S. agriculture sales and 43 percent of U.S. farmland.

Other data furnished by the census expounded on the expanded role of women in agriculture. Female-operated farms sold $148 billion in agricultural products in 2017, with 49 percent ($73 billion) in crop sales and 51 percent ($75 billion) in sales of livestock and livestock products. These farms received $4 billion in government payments.

In addition, female producers were most involved in day-to-day decisions and record keeping/financial management, while male producers had higher rates of involvement than female producers in land use/ crop decisions and in livestock decisions.

Agriculture associations and enterprises for women, run by women, continue to emerge to match the growing demographic. These associations look to increase leadership capacity and improve knowledge and skills among established female farmers and those new to the industry through educational programming and networking.

Annie’s Project, an educational program dedicated to strengthening women’s roles in modern farm enterprises, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. The brainchild of Ruth Hambleton while an extension educator with the University of Illinois, the initial cohort graduated 10 women who attended six classes over a six-week span at Kaskaskia Community College in Centralia, Ill., in 2003.

The national non-profit has over 19,000 graduates across 38 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Claudette Roper, director of administration, receives countless phone calls detailing unfortunate circumstances female farmers must confront. One compelling story featured a spouse whose husband committed suicide after they leased equipment to expand their operation. Despite her knowledge and farming experience, she was denied the lease to the equipment.

“I think if he had had two farmers who had a partnership, they would have honored that, but because it was his wife they figured she couldn’t handle it,” Roper said.

The program focuses on the five risk areas identified by USDA: financial, human resource, legal, market and production risk. Classes are designed to meet the specific needs of farm and ranch women by building confidence, developing networks, and creating lifelong learners.

The online presentations feature small groups where learning takes place in an open and stress-free environment. Women learn from each other and are led by locally trained facilitators. Sessions offer ample time for questions, sharing, reacting, and connecting with presenters and fellow participants. The setting enables participants to share personal perspectives in an accepting environment.

“Many women do not do well speaking up and asking questions in a room full of men because a lot of times they get that, ‘I can’t believe she asked that’ look, so they don’t ask,” Roper said. “That’s what makes our classes particularly helpful, because not only do they get the information that’s needed, but they don’t have to be afraid to ask what might be considered a dumb question.”

Annie’s Project training sites are determined by each state’s leadership based on facilitator availability and participant demand. “I keep a database of requests and I share that with the states so they can see their pattern,” Roper said. “So, we try to meet the needs of the women.”

According to Roper, each state’s facilitators go through two four-hour trainings focused on the same methodology. “Very much interactive, hands-on, not lecture style.”

Quarterly facilitator meetings featuring updates and discussion as well as refresher trainings are available.

Not all facilitators are female. “There are males involved and actually I’m thrilled about that,” Roper said. “We choose people who are highly qualified in their subject area, they’re there to teach and answer questions.”

According to the Annie’s Project website, Annette Kohlhagen Fleck, Hambleton’s mother, served as the inspiration for the program. Fleck was a farmwife who kept excellent records while serving as the primary caretaker of the farm. Through her excellent record-keeping and decision-making, the family was able to successfully navigate hardship and ultimately profit as wealthy landowners.

In a 2008 interview with Mike Maniscalco, Hambleton explained how her mother was the catalyst for the endeavor. “She had the formula for getting everybody through tough times, enjoying the good times. It all was just her ability to organize and keep those records. So that’s what we work with the women on. Not everybody’s a record keeper, not everybody’s a land-owner, but everybody finds something at Annie’s Project. Everybody finds a piece of themselves in my mother, and that’s what makes the program.”

Purdue Extension Educators across Indiana are partnering to offer Annie’s Project Level I virtually via Zoom starting June 6 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. EST and continuing on June 8, 13, 15, 20 and 22.

Each session’s offerings are outlined below.

June 6, 2023

• Introduction

• Real Colors – Personality Assessment 

June 8, 2023 

• Farm Business Planning 

• Succession Planning 

• Contingency Planning – Code Red 

June 13, 2023 

• Marketing 

• Farm Stress 

• Crop Insurance 

June 15, 2023 

• Computer Software Recordkeeping 

• Ag Lender’s Perspective 

June 20, 2023 

• Land Leasing 

• Legal Risk 

• UAV & Ag Tech 

June 22, 2023 

• Farm & Family Insurance 

• Local Resources – FSA, SWCD, NRCS 

• Web Soil Survey

 

The cost for the course is $65 per person, which includes a workbook and support materials for all sessions. Course size is limited, so register by May 27 at https://bit.ly/2023anniesproject or call 574-372-2340.