Success StoryAnnie's Project: Empowering Farm Women
Annie's Project: Empowering Farm Women
Author: Joanna Coles
Planning Unit: Warren County CES
Major Program: Farm Management, Economics and Policy
Plan of Work: Ag Awareness, Marketing & Leadership 2025
Outcome: Intermediate Outcome
Women in agriculture play a vital role in farm operations, yet they often face unique challenges. The Agriculture & Natural Resources Extension Agents in Logan and Warren County and the Horticulture Extension Agent in Warren County partnered to design, coordinate, and implement the 2025 Logan/Warren County Annie’s Project. This program served as a beacon of empowerment for women in agriculture, aiming to enhance 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 provided a comprehensive learning experience, covering topics such as personality types and communication, farm succession planning, crop insurance, financial management, and business planning. Through a combination of workshops, hands-on activities, group discussions, and guest speakers, participants engaged in an interactive learning environment designed to strengthen their farm-business management confidence and skills.
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, six ladies completed their personal goals they set at the beginning of the program, where 100% of the participants made progress towards their goals.
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. Nineteen 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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