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Annie’s Project, Heart of the Farm, and Beyond—Moving Past Introductions to Farm Financial and Risk Management

Aliesha Crowe

Summary

Heart of the Farm (HOF) in Wisconsin provides Farm Management and Production Education for Women Improving Farm Business Decision-Making. Starting in 2002, through HOF, county based agents offer 1-day conferences, networking, hands-on workshops, programming on business planning, farm management, and human resources. In 2004, Wisconsin Extension specialists and county agents adapted a successful agriculture risk management program from Illinois to meet the needs of Wisconsin farm women. Annie’s Project, a five session series of workshops, brings women together to learn risk management strategies and to network and learn from each other. Annie’s Project was partially funded by a NCRME grant. The Heart of the Farm - Women in Agriculture Conferences and Annie´s Project address the needs of farm women by providing education on pertinent topics, connecting them with agricultural resources, and creating support networks.

In Rusk County, Annie’s Project and HOF programs provided first-time exposure to financial and risk management education. After participation, women requested on-farm consultation, next-step training, in-depth programs on specific topics such as determining cost of production, marketing milk and value-added products, milk quality, and financial and production record-keeping. Farm women in Rusk County applied the knowledge gained through these programs to their own farm situations, and a Rusk County Women in Agriculture Network formed. The Rusk county agent works with farm women to form on-farm teams including spouses, partners, lenders, nutritionists, milking plant representatives, and others who contribute to the management of the farm. Farm women use these teams for farm financial and risk management decision-making.

Details

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