Conferences
Women Managing Farmland in Iowa Programs and Resources
Madeline Schultz and Lisa Scarbrough
Summary
A survey of women farmland owners in Iowa showed women have a significant impact on how farmland leases are designed, what conservation practices are utilized, and how farmland will be transitioned to the next generation. Yet, the data indicate managing farmland is challenging for many women. In response to the survey data, ISU Extension and Outreach developed programs and resources to increase support women farmland owners. In 2022-2023, the project team delivered ten Women Managing Farmland in-person programs, hosted six webinars, and wrote six articles for the Ag Decision Maker and Women in Ag newsletters. The poster summarizes survey data collected from participants such as those responding to retrospective surveys after the webinars. These women indicated before the webinars, 8.3 percent had a "somewhat high" or "high" level of knowledge about the content. After the webinars, this increased to 80.9 percent. Biggest take-away messages included “motivation to work toward getting a plan developed for transition/end of life” and “it’s important for all landowners with water leaving their property to take even small steps.” Respondents also commented they were “keeping the slides as they are very informative” and “easy to understand - I like that there is a book to download.”
Women can be effective change agents for more equitable farmland leasing, adoption of conservation practices, and greater efficiencies in land transition to next generation farmers. When Extension extends knowledge and empowers women farmland owners, they can make better farmland management decisions that improves agricultural sustainability and food security for all Iowans.
Details
| Conference | 2024 Extension Risk Management Education National Conference |
| Presentation Type | Poster |