At the Winter Policy Conference for the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, members passed an action item supporting the United Nations’ resolution declaring 2026 (next year) as the ” International Year of the Woman Farmer.” NASDA says the action “acknowledges the vital contributions of women farmers and supports programs that enhance access to critical tools and opportunities. NASDA encourages domestic and international efforts to uplift and celebrate women in agriculture while advocating for policies that foster opportunity for the entire agricultural sector.” The announcement comes as March brings the annual observance of “Women’s History Month” in the U.S., which celebrates the contributions of women to history and society. In recognition of the hardworking women in American agriculture, below are some interesting stats from the USDA’s 2022 Census of Agriculture:
- In the U.S., some 36% of farmers are female. The grand total of 1.2 million counted in 2022 is a decrease of -0.2% from the previous census in 2017.
- Of those 1.2 million women, 78% are involved in day-to-day activities, 59% are involved in the actual land use or crop aspect of the farm, and 53% manage livestock.
- About 58% of U.S. farms have at least on female producers making decisions about the farm’s operation.
- States in the Northeast, Southwest, and West had larger shares of female producers. While Texas had more female producers than any other state, Arizona and Alaska ranked first in the share they represented of the state’s total producers (48%). Other top states included New Hampshire (45%) and Oregon (44%) as well as Maine, Hawaii, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Nevada (all 43%).
- Female producers were slightly younger on average than male producers (57.8 years versus 58.3 in 2022).
- Women producers were more likely to be a beginning farmer (33% of female producers had farmed 10 or fewer years compared to 28% of male producers). Compared to their male counterparts, women farmers were more likely to live on the farm they operated and less likely to report farming as their primary occupation.
- Farms with one or more female producers sold $222 billion in agricultural products in 2022, with 50% ($111 billion) in crop sales and 50% ($111 billion) in sales of livestock and livestock products. These farms accounted for 41% of total U.S. agriculture sales.
