WOMEN FARMERS FASTEST GROWING SECTOR IN NEW YORK’S FAMILY FARMS
Thursday, May 6th, 2010
ALBANY — Chicks rule.
Women farmers are among the fastest growing sectors in agriculture, according to recent state and federal statistics.
In honor of Mother’s Day, New York Farm Bureau is saluting the growing ranks of women that have recently entered into farming.
“The trend of women joining this industry makes sense,” said Julie Suarez, public policy director for Farm Bureau and mother of two. “Women farmers can work where they live, alongside their children. It’s the ultimate family lifestyle.”
“Women farmers are also producing something of value for the community at large—good food. The occupation offers tremendous job satisfaction, although not always as financially lucrative as other businesses,” Suarez added. “There’s always been a strong female partnership in our state’s family farms, but the recent trend is for farmers’ daughters, and innovative women seeking new careers to start up their own farm operation or initiate a new endeavor on the home farm.”
“Farm kids learn a strong work ethic from an early age and how to care for animals and those around them,” said Catherine Ziehm, a mother of three and owner of Alpacas of Easton in Washington County. “This experience helps prepare them for a lifetime of positive on-the-job habits and community service that will serve them well in adulthood.”
The 2007 Census of Agriculture shows that women have a growing presence in U.S. agriculture.
Women are running more farms and operating more land, and producing a greater value of agricultural products than ever before.
The most recent agricultural census revealed that women were the principal operators of 6,688 farms in New York on 592,787 acres of land.
When compared to all farms nationwide, those with female principal operators tend to be smaller both in terms of size and sales. However, women are more likely to own all of the farmland that they operate.
Eve Kaplan, owner of Garden of Eve organic farm in Suffolk County on Long Island, said, “Farming is a great career for women. Customers think it’s really funny when they come to the farm and see my kids having a water hose fight in the middle of the greenhouses, and it’s good for people to realize that family farms in New York are just that – family businesses. We don’t always have the luxury in society today to bring both work life and home life together, so it’s good for people to see that’s still possible in a farming occupation.”
Margo Bittner, a Niagara County farmer and owner of The Winery at Marjim Manor, said, “As one of New York’s women-owned wineries, I focus on a blend of education, fun, and history at my family farm. People can learn about wine making, wine and food pairings, and local history all at the same time. One of the many benefits to having my own farm business, is that both my daughter and my daughter-in-law work right beside me, and that’s rare in today’s culture. We each have different talents and work together to grow the business and support each other by working together.”
While NYFB is saluting our female farmers and moms on Mother’s Day, the organization is also seeking to raise awareness of the importance of women working in agriculture.
“There are a lot of state programs out there that seek to help Minority and Women Owned Businesses with start-up micro-loans or state procurement opportunities," said Suarez. “But farmers don’t often think about these programs because their availability is not usually publicized in rural areas in a field that’s stereotypically dominated by men.
“The reality couldn’t be further from the truth as farm families know that women have always played an equal role in the farm family and business," Suarez continued. “However, when women seek to develop their own farm operations there aren’t many development tools geared toward meeting the needs of women opening up a farm business in a rural area.
“We hope that by highlighting this growing segment of agriculture, and saluting our female farmers, we can encourage greater awareness of the need for Minority and Women Owned business programs to consider the great potential that exists for women in starting up new farm operations.”
