I recently had the opportunity to attend a farmer meeting for a large crop insurance agency and had a great conversation with one of the agents who told me, “Women are an essential part of running many of the farms we service. When there is a financial decision to be made, women are often essential to making that decision, writing the check or signing on the bottom line.”
This was not news to me – I've often heard it said that women are the “Chief Financial Officers” of many farms and ranches around the country. Regardless of the role they play, the numbers tell us they are there, and they are important. The most recent Census of Agriculture reported that 1.2 million women are actively engaged in farming and make up 36% of all farmers in the U.S. Of those 1.2 million women, 71% report involvement with financial decisions.
Modern farms are complex operations, and many are family-run businesses that take on major material risks. While the intent of most businesses is to turn a profit, farms often honor the legacy of their family’s past while working to preserve their heritage for a better future. They involve operating large budgets, managing labor, running a fleet, marketing grain and livestock, managing land, navigating risk management decisions and government programs, being an agronomist, mastering technology and so much more. The reality of these modern farms is that women often play a significant role.
My journey as a woman in agriculture, working on behalf of farmers and ranchers throughout my career, has been quite a trip! I am proud to share that this is my seventeenth year in the crop insurance industry. It’s been a journey marked by learning, growth and change. I’ve worked for two approved insurance providers (AIPs) and sat in a wide variety of leadership roles.
In the middle of my crop insurance career, I took a step away, leaving the corporate side to launch a movement that evolved into the media company FarmHer. During that eight-year journey, I shared stories of hundreds of women on farms across the country. I witnessed nearly every type and size of agricultural operation and listened to the women who played vital roles in making it all happen. Bringing those stories to life was one of the greatest joys of my career, and I am proud that my friends at RFD-TV continue that work today.
Recently, I stepped out of my comfort zone and championed the start of a network for women holding professional agriculture roles in the Kansas City Metro. It has been a refreshing opportunity to meet and learn about some of the great women who live and work where I do. For the future of agriculture to be as bright as we know it can be, it will take leaders from all walks of life connecting, learning and growing together in networks just like this.
Through March, AgriSompo will celebrate and honor the contributions of a few women in vital agriculture roles, via our social media channels by sharing their stories, achievements and insights. The women we will highlight are part of agriculture across the country, from adjusters to an AgriSompo agent, USDA leadership and even some special farmers from my own generational family farm in Iowa. Please join us as we celebrate Women’s History Month by sharing your stories with us as well.