By Doug Graves Ohio Correspondent
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The average American farmer is a white man in his late 50s according to the latest data from the USDA. But, the number of women run farms is rising. The number of female-run farms has tripled since the 1970s, to nearly 14 percent in 2017. That number was just 5 percent in the 1980s. Dig a little deeper and you’ll discover women are showing up in new roles. But because of the way farm businesses are structured, women’s work often isn’t included in those USDA counts. One organization in the Buckeye State was formed to help create opportunities for women to network and grow as business professionals and food producers. Women Grow Ohio (WGO) is a group of livestock farmers, growers, homesteaders and urban backyard garden producers who have a desire to connect and unite Ohio women in all forms of agriculture. WGO was founded by three women food producers (two rural, one urban) in 2015. Their goal was to create opportunities for women to network and learn more about the business of farming and procedures in growing food on the farm. The trio created farm tours that spotlighted women farmers, showing the opportunities and networking opportunities available. The group then added peer-to-peer educational workshops and potluck gatherings to their list. In 2016, WGO joined forces with Rural Action based on their shared mission of promoting and supporting local farmers and food producers – and helping women as their importance on the farm keeps growing. Nestled in the foothills of Appalachian Ohio, Rural Action was founded in 1991 on the principle that locally based, sustainable and inclusive development is the main strategy for building resilient rural Appalachian communities. The two groups became one, with the goal of empowering women farmers throughout the state. In 2018, for example, Rural Action’s Women Grow Ohio launched a series of weekly specialty dairy webinars aimed at providing technical assistance to Ohio’s women farmers working in the dairy sector. “Women have always worked in agriculture, historically,” said Julie Zimmerman, a rural sociologist at the University of Kentucky. Zimmerman studies how women’s roles on the farm have changed over time. “If you see working on your farm as being part of your role as the spouse or the wife, as helping out, then you might not even recognize it as being ‘working on the farm,’ even if you’re doing it all the time.” The thrust to advance women in agriculture in the state began long before the formation of WGO or Rural Action. In 1980, Ohio Agri-Women (OAW) was formed, and it was rather hard times that put this small group of women into action. “Our group got its start after a worrisome harvest season with a low crop yield, rising interest rates, falling land values, little or no rain, and hail damage,” recalled OAW founder Sherry Boyd, referring to difficult times in the area surrounding Mt. Sterling, Ohio. Boyd realized that the men in her life had plenty to do with harvesting and other aspects of agriculture and she was determined to “do something about the lack of communication about agriculture among women.” Boyd gathered her neighboring women together and called Pat Leimbach to speak on the need for farm women to network and promote agriculture. Leimbach has been instrumental in the organizing activities of American Agri-Women (AAW) and was known as an Ohio author and speaker. That first meeting was held in London, Ohio. The group’s first efforts produced a series of features in local newspapers, expounding on the unique accomplishments of women in agriculture. This led the group to concentrate on Ag-in-the-Classroom activities, as well as educating the membership. Annual educational conferences were held and gave the group an opportunity to strengthen links with agribusinesses and draw more media attention. Dreams were beginning to materialize for OAW. By 1984, OAW was growing even more and had 62 members. A liaison was established with the Ohio Department of Agriculture, leading to the formation of an Ohio Task Force. All major agriculture organizations in the state worked together for the first time and the OAW was no small organization. OAW members promoted Ohio products at an international expo in Toledo. They set up booths at mall events, celebrated National Agriculture Day, honored women, published a cookbook and presented to classrooms. OAW participated in the Ohio Corn-Soybean conference as well as the Ohio Farm Science Review. By 1985 membership was several thousand. By 1986, membership grew enormously to the point of organizing chapters in two areas of the state, and in 1990 OAW sponsored a Woman of the Year in Agriculture contest. Today, many of Ohio’s 88 counties put an agricultural spotlight on women. Just recently the Clinton County Farm Bureau celebrated women in agriculture at their first annual Women in Ag Recognition Dinner at the fairgrounds’ Expo Center. This past March, members of OAW toured Stockslagers Greenhouse in New Lebanon, Ohio, to learn about the growing market and technology for indoor agriculture. “Women make up 36 percent of the total population of U.S. farmers, and 95 percent of female farm bureau members surveyed actively advocated for agriculture,” said Kym Parks, Clinton County Farm Bureau member. “Clinton County Farm Bureau wants the female farmers in our community to build a network while being recognized for their contribution they have made to the success of agriculture operations, business and family farms right here in Clinton County.” Keynote speaker for that event was Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Dorothy Pelanda. “Farming is a family business and for every successful farmer, there’s a woman working next to him,” Pelanda said. “Agriculture has always been a family industry. What’s happening is, we are seeing more women taking prominent leadership roles in agriculture.” Pelanda still lives on the Union County farm where she grew up and said it helped instill in her a strong work ethic and a passion for issues such as invasive species, soil and water conservation, among other concerns her family dealt with daily. “I fed our animals at 4 a.m. before I got on the school bus, and my sisters and I loved operating the tractors,” she said. “I still love doing that.” Based on research performed by the American Farmland Trust, over the next 20 years, roughly 371 million acres of farmland are expected to change hands as farmers begin to pass down their land to the next generation. Today, more than 301 million acres are farmed by female operators, and industry experts agree that this figure will continue to rise along with the percentage of women in leadership roles. |