Census: More women running farms in Ohio
According to agriculture data, 9,127 Ohio women are principal operators of farms.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
The number of women who are the principal operators on Ohio farms increased 19 percent from 2002 to 2007, according to 2007 agriculture census data released Wednesday, Feb. 4.
The 2007 census counted 9,127 women serving as their farm's principal operators, up from 7,660 counted during the 2002 census.
But among women considered the principal operators of farms, the number who consider farming their primary occupation fell from 3,906 in 2002 to 3,518 in 2007, suggesting their farm operations are small.
Peggy Clark of northern Warren County farms full-time with her husband, Mike, and son, David. Their family farms 5,500 acres, primarily corn and soybeans, with Peggy handling book work and relations with 66 landlords.
Clark, the president of Ohio Agri-Women, said the growth in the number of women may be attributed to horse farms, many of which are headed by women, and a growing number of women who are "niche farmers," supplementing their family's income by raising chickens, selling eggs or raising fruits and vegetables that are sold through farm markets. Widows also may be driving the higher numbers, she said.
Joe Cornely, spokesman for the Ohio Farm Bureau, said the numbers may reflect the evolving nature of farming, with more opportunities for farmers to sell their products directly to consumers. That kind of agriculture may be attractive to a wide range of people, but perhaps women in particular, he said.
"What we do see increasingly is females taking leadership roles within the Farm Bureau," he said.
The agriculture census also found that Darke and Mercer counties near Dayton ranked as the top two egg-producing counties in the nation in 2007.
Darke County had 8.38 million egg-laying chickens, while Mercer County had 8.01 million.
