The percentage of Pacific Northwest and California farmers who are women easily tops the national average, according to statistics released by the USDA.
Nationally, 31 percent of farmers are women, and they farm more than 301 million acres and have a $12.9 billion annual economic impact, according to USDA.
In Oregon, 39 percent of farmers are women; 37 percent in Washington and 33 percent in Idaho and California.
The West in general has a higher percentage of women farmers than the rest of the country. Arizona tops the list with 45 percent women; Nevada counts 39 percent, Colorado 37 percent, Wyoming 35 percent and New Mexico and Montana have 34 percent.
Katy Coba, director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture, said the culture of the West is more receptive than other regions to women being involved in agriculture.
That can’t help but influence or change agriculture, although the women themselves may not think there’s anything special about their presence, Coba said.
“When there’s a diversity of perspectives, that’s a good thing,” she said. “Women are one element of that diversity.”
Young farmers and people who grew up in urban areas and are turning to agriculture also bring diverse viewpoints and experience to farming, she said.
“The more we can bring those people together and help shape ag policy, I think you just get better policy,” she said.
In the Midwest, women make up 23 percent of the farmers in Illinois, 25 percent in Iowa and 28 percent in Ohio.
The numbers are drawn from the 2012 Census of Agriculture, which actually showed a 2 percent decline nationally in women farmers compared to the 2007 ag census. The 2012 census also showed the number of women who are principal operators declined by 6 percent.
Nonetheless, women’s impact in ag is evident. In Oregon, for example, they farm 7.3 million acres and have a $263 million economic impact.
The USDA also announced it has established a mentoring network for women in agriculture. The agency invited people to take part by emailing AgWomenLead@usda.gov or follow #womeninag on Twitter.
Source: www.capitalpress.com