North CentralFarmwomen’s

Network

Sandy StuttgenAgriculture Educator

UW-Extension, Taylor County

Women in Agriculture EducatorsNational Conference

Memphis, TNMarch 2012

Working with Farm Women

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• Annie’s Project

• Beginning Quickbooks

• Ladies’ Groups

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The women attendees expressed the difficulties they have while farming in male-dominated rural WI. They have unique challenges to face; from

finding basic educational resources and advisors to getting their work done

Effective Outreach for Wisconsin’s Women Farmers

Sharon Lezberg, Ph.D. Astrid Newenhouse, Ph.D.

Environmental Resources CenterUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison

Original grant proposal written by MrillIngram

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A research project funded by NCR SARE

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Goals:1. Learn about women farmers and their environmental management practices.2. Gain information to improve Extension’s outreach to women farmers.

We studied 2 distinct groups of women farmers (principal operators) in Wisconsin:

Direct market farmersDairy farmers

Women “principal operators” are those who farm solo or with a spouse or partner, but who “make or help make the main decisions about how farm is managed”.

The Ag Census shows the number of women principal operators in WI increased 58% over 10 years.

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Research Methods

• Mailed 601 surveys to direct market farmers (62% response rate).

• Mailed 755 surveys to dairy farmers (44% response rate).

• Interviewed 8-9 farmers in each group.

• Held 3 focus groups of 6-8 dairy farmers.

• Held a discussion with >40 direct market farmers and dairy farmers.

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During both the focus group and the Annie's Projects, farmwomen stated their willingness to attend peer group sessions

where they would establish their own personal network that would allow them

to more efficiently sustain their farm business.

 

14% of the self-described principle farm owners in Taylor County as women (up from 5% in 2002)

6% in Clark County (up from 4% in 2002) 7% in Marathon County (up from 5%)

• As an increasing yet minority population, these women are committed to their farming lifestyle.

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To meet the request for establishing a farm women's network, UW-Extension Taylor and Clark Counties partnered with the Taylor/Price County Farm Service Agency to foster The North Central Farmwomen’s Network (NCFN).

The counties' UW-Extension educators as well as the area FSA director were present to facilitate NCFN and worked to provide requested follow-up information.

Funding for NCFN was obtained from a WI SARE Mini-Grant (covered project costs of advertising, written materials, facilitator’s travel mileage, and postage charges incurred)

Lunches were provided by collaborating partners: USDA/FSA (Taylor County) Medford Co-op Taylor County Dairy Promotional Committee (WI Milk Marketing Board),

Taylor County Farm Bureau, Farm Credit Services of Medford WI Farmers Union (Taylor-Price counties)

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• farm women were invited

• registration asking for a few items they would like information on

• facilitators used the responses indicated to start the discussions

• the women self-directed the sessions

• four, two-hour lunchtime sessions

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NCFN met four times in the spring of 2011in two different Wisconsin locations, Gilman and Abbotsford.

Depending on the direction indicated by the women attending, each session was independent of the other.

Different women were in attendance at each session and some women attended a pair of sessions.

Twenty-four women participated, representing 37 independent contacts with the

UW-Extension Taylor County Agriculture Educator.

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The women’s ages ranged from 30 to over 70

married, widowed, divorced and single

The majority (62%) have been farming for over 20 years

The minority (8%) farming 5-10 years

Fifteen percent were either farming less than five or between 10-20 years.

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Farm women are often talked around, not directly to, by the male-orientated farm service providers or personnel; there is an underlying preference to speak with a man over a woman farmer. The farm women said they get “used to” this and figure out ways to deal with it.

Single-farm women are not always welcomed in small rural communities; married-farm women often look suspiciously on a single-woman farming on her own.

Men are often eager to help women get their farming chores completed, but often this help is in expectation for returned favors, or as a chance to tell the woman how the work should be done (implying he knows the best or better way for her to farm) or as a way for the man to take credit for being helpful (his ego).

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As one woman stated,

“I am glad to have this network set up where I can go to find deals on

supplies, renting equipment, tips others are using, and reliable

information.”Women in Agriculture Educators National Conference

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It is helpful to meet and talk to other women who struggle with the same or similar issues.  Socially, many farm women feel isolated and this can reduce or eliminate that.

It is a good way for the ladies to interact and talk about the areas of the farm operation that concern them, which in some cases can be most of it.  But we see if from a different perspective than our husbands or significant others and it is good to get other ideas rather than be mired in 'the way it's been done'. The information is informative, topics are asked for prior to the meeting and the networking is a nice day out. I attend the Farm Women’s Network meetings because I need a place to associate with other women who share the challenges of working in a traditionally male industry.  Balancing farm, family, finances, community, and home-keeping; we face unique situations that are not often addressed through conventional women’s groups.  We all seem to face similar challenges, needing support, understanding and advice.

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What started as four…..

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Taylor County Office Faculty and Staff

● Arlen Albrecht, CNRED Agent, Co-Department Head● Peggy Nordgren, Family Living Agent, Co-Department Head● Sandy Stuttgen, Agriculture Educator● Michelle Grimm, 4-H Youth Development Agent● Brenda Herrell, Wisconsin Nutrition Education Program Coordinator● Michelle Oates, Wisconsin Nutrition Education Program Educator● Sue Cullen, Administrative Assistant● Kim Drolshagen, Administrative Assistant

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