Join Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden on Wednesday March 18 at 2 p.m. for a Google Hangout with Dr. Linda Young, Chief Mathematical Statistician and Director of Research and Development of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, and Marji Guyler-Alaniz, photographer and founder of FARMHER as we celebrate women farmers and ranchers on National Ag Day. You can tune in at www.usda.gov/live.
The Census of Agriculture counts nearly one million women working on America’s farms and ranches. These statistics are crucial for our understanding of women in agriculture. However, they only tell a fraction of the story. They might not capture women who are working the farm although the property is in someone else’s name. They might not reflect the younger women who are just getting started in farming, or the older generation of women who are ready to transition their land to the next generation.
The discussion will be about how women are represented in agriculture – both in statistics and in images. We will talk about USDA efforts to collect better statistics about women in agriculture to reflect the work women are doing on the farm, and learn about photography projects documenting farmers. We will also be taking your questions. Use #womeninag to join the conversation about women in agriculture. You can also send your questions in advance to agwomenlead@usda.gov.
Last month, Deputy Secretary Harden announced the Women in Agriculture Mentoring Network as a place for women in agriculture to support and engage women across all areas of agriculture and to connect women with shared backgrounds, interests, and professional goals. Since then, we’ve heard from hundreds of diverse women who are counting themselves as part of America’s agricultural community.
March is also Women's History Month, and to celebrate, USDA has been interviewing women leaders across the agricultural sector. Read the first two stories on the USDA Blog and stay tuned for more throughout the month of March. You can join the network and join the conversation about the many diverse faces of #womeninag.