A while back, I wrote a column about five women who had a substantial influence on agriculture. I am writing this column while women’s history is being celebrated in the media and through other forms of acknowledgment.
Women have come a long way since the days when we couldn’t even vote. And it was only the advent of World War II that enabled women to branch into fields of employment that were previously held only by men.
What about agriculture? Again, I think we have come a long way, but there are still rows to hoe, and forward movement is required for us to have any sort of equal representation in agriculture. Let’s start our look at the headwaters, so to speak, of agriculture — the farm.
Since I am going to be using USDA census data, let me first provide the definition of a producer as designated by USDA. A producer is “any person involved in decision making for the farm operation they work on regarding planting, harvesting, marketing, or managing.”
Global Trade reported in 2021 that nearly one-third of the 3.4 million producers in the United States are 65 or older, and close to 1 million are 55 to 64. Only 280,000 are under 34.
But there is one area where the numbers are growing, and that is female farmers. Between 2012 and 2017, the number of women who are farmers increased by 250,000 while the number of male farmers decreased by 40,000. (USDA changed its methodology for the 2017 census.)
Unfortunately, the income differential between men and women that exists in other sectors of the economy is also seen in agriculture, a disparity related to historical and cultural factors.
What states have the most female farm producers?
Of no surprise to most of us in Pennsylvania, we are not at the top of the list. There are more female farm producers in the western half of the U.S. than the eastern half, but all of the New England states are included in the top 15.
The rankings are based on the percentage of female producers, and it is important to note that no state is over 50%. The top five range from 48.7% (Arizona) to 43.7% (Maine).
What about Pennsylvania?
We are doing better.
Penn State did a deep dive into USDA’s 2017 Census of Agriculture to report data for the commonwealth. As in the rest of the country, the number of female producers increased by 15% between 2012 and 2017 while the number of males decreased by 7%.
In 2017, 35% of producers were female and 65% male, and 50% of all producers worked on small farms of 10 to 69 acres.
It is also important to note that as farm size increases, the percentage of female producers decreases.
The largest sector (28%) in terms of agricultural type is “other crop farming,” which is primarily hay cropping but also includes tobacco farming.
How about dairy?
According to the census, 12% of Pennsylvania agriculture in 2017 was devoted to dairy and milk production with a total of 11,274 producers (not farms). Thirty-six percent of the total producers were female and 64% were men, fairly close to the state average for all producers.
What does this mean, and how have things changed?
Way back (1970s) when I was sitting in an agricultural education class at Penn State, a fellow classmate, a male, stated that women should not be certified as agriculture teachers.
Yes, that is true, and I have a long-term friend who was in the same class who remembers that day as vividly as I do.
And that friend I just mentioned? It took her several years after graduation to secure a teaching position.
Today, the majority of agricultural education graduates — 75%, in fact — across the country are women. Times have changed in my field.
Sadly, in most areas of agricultural production, women’s income still lags behind that of males. Hopefully, this will soon be fully recognized and changed.
I will close all of this by paraphrasing the statement I made to that male classmate many years ago — I can drive a tractor, weld (I was a good welder), bale hay, castrate a bull calf, formulate a ration, balance the books, milk a cow, and do anything you can do, while also raising a large garden and handling my traditional female chores.
This is as true today for our female producers as it was for me back in the day. This matters!
The Pennsylvania Milk Marketing Board celebrates women in agriculture and supports diversity and equality for individuals involved in their various roles within the dairy industry. We recognize their contributions.
Source : Lancasterfarming