Transcript North Central Farmwomen's Network

North Central
Farmwomen’s
Network
Sandy Stuttgen
Agriculture Educator
UW-Extension, Taylor County
Women in Agriculture Educators
National Conference
Memphis, TN
March 2012
Working with Farm Women
• 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
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Effective Outreach for
Wisconsin’s Women Farmers
A research project funded by NCR SARE
Sharon Lezberg, Ph.D.
Astrid Newenhouse, Ph.D.
Environmental Resources Center
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Original grant proposal written by MrillIngram
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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 farmers
Dairy 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.
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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 2011
in 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 maleorientated 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.”
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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
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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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