Women in ag history: Women have long played essential roles in the ag industry
Agriculture is one of few industries where women have always played a major role. In fact, research shows women have been involved in the process of growing and harvesting food since nearly 10,000 B.C.
Today, women serve in a variety of capacities throughout the industry, with more than 1.2 million female producers scattered across the country.
In honor of Women’s History Month, here is a quick look at the role of women in agriculture throughout history.
A look in the past
Often considered “silent contributors,” many sources indicate women have long played an essential role on the farm, undertaking tasks such as bookkeeping, gardening and caring for livestock.
At the turn of the 20th century, women began utilizing their social skills and sense of connection to trade goods at local markets.
However, as family farms began to dwindle and make the transition into agribusinesses, women took a back seat to men as far as leadership roles were concerned, as they were only allowed to assist with marketing campaigns and educational programs.
But this all changed when World War I broke out, and men were called away from home.
At this time, women proved themselves highly capable and successful at keeping the American ag industry alive, and when World War II broke out 21 years after the first one ended in 1918, they proved themselves again.
In fact, by the end of World War II, U.S. food production had grown by 32 percent over pre-war levels, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) data.
Remarkable women in history
While all women have been essential in shaping the industry, a few in particular stick out for their remarkable contributions.
Maria Sibylla Merian, a German entomologist who lived from 1614 to 1717 before entomology was a thing, was fascinated by insects and spent her time sketching her observations of their movements and lifecycles. She later published a two-volume book on the metamorphosis of the caterpillar titled “The Wonderful Transformation of Caterpillars.”
Harriet Williams Russell Strong was a widowed mother who, to make ends meet, became a widely celebrated inventor, agricultural entrepreneur, civic leader, philanthropist and advocate of women’s rights and higher education.
To save her land and family from debt, Strong pioneered new methods of water conservation and dryland irrigation to water her walnut, olive and pomegranate crops; created several inventions and patents and raised pampas grass to sell as plumes for extra cash.
Dr. Mary Engle Pennington, known as the “Ice Woman of the Cold Chain” revolutionized the food supply and distribution system by developing safe and sanitary methods for processing, storing and shipping dairy products, poultry eggs and fish.
A chemist and engineer who helped design and evaluate transportation methods to reduce bacteria counts in refrigerated and frozen foods, Pennington served on former President Herbert Hoover’s Food and Drug Administration and USDA.
Alice Evans, nicknamed “the Pioneer of Safe Milk,” made significant contributions to the dairy industry with her research of diseases caused by raw milk.
Evans’ research focused on two specific strains of zoonotic bacteria found in raw milk. Due to her work, a new genus of bacteria – brucellosis – was named, which ultimately led to mandatory milk pasteurization.
Dr. Evangelina Villegas was a cereal chemist and researcher from Mexico who collaborated with Dr. Surinder Vasal, a renowned plant breeder, to develop a new variety of maize with increased levels of lysine and tryptophan.
In today’s day and age, Dr. Temple Grandin is a well-known name in the ag industry.
Temple’s life experience with autism influenced her work with animal behavior, leading to well-documented observation of handling and facility design on farms, ranches and slaughter plants. Her work has also led to the development of the Double Rail Restrainer Conveyor for Livestock Handling, a scoring system to assess animal welfare and curved-corral design to reduce animal stress.
Current stats
Today, women make up approximately 40 percent of the global farming workforce, according to Ag America, and data from USDA shows women account for 36 percent of America’s producers.
The 2022 Census of Agriculture shows more than one-half of all farms – 56 percent – have a female producer, while nine percent of U.S. farms are entirely run by women, a number that has tripled over the past 40-plus years.
The census also found beef cattle operations had the highest number of female principal producers, and female-operated farms accounted for 38 percent of U.S. agricultural sales and 43 percent of U.S. farmland.
In 2019, the American Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee launched a survey specifically for women involved in the ag industry. Over 3,000 women from 49 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia responded to the survey.
The survey found women are now involved in every aspect of agriculture and have found growing success in establishing a huge variety of side businesses and revenue streams.
Women have also become more active in advocacy roles, with 95 percent of respondents indicating they frequently advocate for the industry and 92 percent noting they believe they possess the skills and knowledge to be effective advocates.
Additionally, many women in the industry have pushed for sustainable agriculture, often more focused on factors like the environment, health, food, nutrition and connection to the community.
Hannah Bugas is the managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
