Success Story2025 Annie's Project
2025 Annie's Project
Author: Kristin Hildabrand
Planning Unit: Warren County CES
Major Program: Farm Management, Economics and Policy
Plan of Work: Livestock & Crop Production and Commercial Horticulture 2025
Outcome: Initial Outcome
Women in agriculture, who play a crucial role in farm operations, often confront unique challenges. The Agriculture & Natural Resources Extension Agents in Logan and Warren County and the Horticulture Extension Agent in Warren County joined forces to design, coordinate, and implement the 2025 Logan/Warren County Annie's Project. This program, a beacon of empowerment for women in agriculture, aimed to bolster their understanding of financial, human, legal, production, and marketing risks. The program's educational objectives included strengthening decision-making skills, improving legal and compliance awareness, and advancing marketing and business skills.
The six-week program offered a comprehensive learning experience, delving into personality types and communication, farm succession planning, crop insurance, financial management, and business planning. Participants were immersed in an interactive learning environment designed to bolster their farm-business management confidence and skills through a blend of workshops, hands-on activities, group discussions, and guest speakers.
The impacts of Annie's Project extended beyond personal knowledge growth and directly benefited the participants' families and farm operations. As a result of the program, 89% of the ladies expressed feeling more comfortable about discussing farm succession with their families; 100% learned something new about the legal processes, including probate, trusts, and liability issues crucial for protecting farm assets; 75% learned new cattle marketing strategies; 100% gained new crop insurance knowledge; 95% have a better understanding of farm taxes and how the different types of taxes apply to their operations; 100% feel more confident in farm first aid; 4 indicated they created additional first aid kits to fit their farm operations – ensuring the safety of their families and workers. Additionally, 6 ladies completed their personal goals they set at the beginning of the program, where 100% of the participants made progress towards their goals. These achievements underscore the success of Annie's Project and the potential for future participants to benefit from the program.
The program also significantly increased participants' overall farm management knowledge, communication skills, and community engagement. As a result of the skills learned during Annie's Project, 100% of the ladies expressed growth in their confidence in the farm decision-making process and felt better equipped to participate in farm decisions. 19 women from Logan and Warren Counties, representing 56,738 acres, participated in the program and collectively valued it at $43,500, emphasizing its considerable benefits and reaffirming its success.
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