More Women Are Heading Small Farms
By Melissa Wiley in Food on Dec 10, 2013 10:40PM
Chalk this under fun facts for year-in-review pabulum. While small farms remain a rare species, more common by the day are the women who helm them—nearly three times as many as 30 years ago. According to a report released by the USDA, female-operated farms in the U.S. grew from 5 to 14 percent between 1982 and 2007. But they’re not turning much of a profit. Relying on Census data from 1978 through 2007, the study finds that most matriarchal farms—a full 78 percent—earn less than $10,000 per annum.
Of the 306,200 farms in the country where a woman steers the tractor, only 5 percent reaped earnings topping $100,000. These lady farmers are no spring chickens either. At an average age of 59 years old, they’re generally two years older than their male counterparts, albeit with more years of education under their belt. Wise women of the soil that they are, they tend to diversify their income, relying on sources other than farming to pay the electric bill—though with most earning no more than $10,000 annually, they also have little choice.
With the growth of farm-to-table fare and the backlash against factory farms tallying profits in the millions, does this mean ladies are the future of the farm? At least in part. The USDA also reports that more women are entering the field (quite literally) than leaving it, while more young lads raised on the fat on the land continue to trade in their overalls for gray flannel suits.