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Hang Your Hat on It: 20 Years of Annies Project in Iowa

Kelvin Leibold and Madeline Schultz

Summary

When it comes to having an Extension program you can hang your hat on, Annie’s Project is one of the good ones. The Iowa farm management team depends on Annie’s Project to improve lives. The 2017 Census of Agriculture showed 74 percent of women producers were involved in recordkeeping and financial management. Annie’s Project courses support women as they make key financial decisions by addressing risk in the areas of finance, human resources, legal, marketing and production. Annie’s Project is an 18-hour agricultural business education program that empowers women in agriculture to be successful through education, networks, and resources. The team facilitated 124 Annie’s Project courses reaching 2,138 women from 2004 to 2022. Stories of women improving their lives are rewarding. J.R. is a busy farmer with a full-time off-farm job. “I can’t always attend the Extension programs I’m interested in, but I’ve learned so much from Annie’s Project,” she said. Connecting to other women was her favorite. “I ran into one of the young ladies from the class and it was so nice to have that conversation about farming,” she added. After taking Annie’s Project, she converted field headlands to grassland to conserve soil and she’s working on her grain marketing skills. Participants in Annie’s Project courses, like J.R., took important actions to reduce risk and manage profitability. When Iowa State University extends knowledge and empowers women, all Iowans benefit through expanded agricultural businesses, greater conservation of natural resources, and increased support for the community of women in agriculture.

Details

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