In Rochelle Krusemark’s estimation, the presence of women in agriculture
is hardly a recent development. The story of the American farmer, she said, simply can’t be written without pioneering women playing a key role in maintaining a family farm operation. No women, no farms.
“When I was growing up, my family didn’t farm, but there were farmers in our church and in our community who were women and they were very involved,” Krusemark said. “I don’t think women in agriculture is anything new.”
Though proud of her role as a female leader in farming, Krusemark, a director with the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council (MSR&PC) since 2015, considers herself a farmer first.
“But I do think that we are probably recognized a little more readily now,” said Krusemark, MSR&PC’s longest-serving female director, “and that’s a positive development.”
Thinking differently
Female agriculture professionals are more active than ever. In Minnesota, nearly 36,000 women are actively farming, an increase of nearly 1,100 farmers since the 2017 Census. According to the USDA’s 2022 Agriculture Census, the United States supports 12 million female producers, accounting for 36% of the country’s 3.4 million producers. Female producers are slightly younger than their male counterparts, more likely to be a beginning farmer and more likely to live on the farm they operate than male producers. More than half of all farms (58%) had a female producer, and farms with one or more female producers accounted for 41% of U.S. agriculture sales and 46% of U.S. farmland.
Krusemark, who farms in Martin County with her family, said many farms operate successfully thanks to the collaboration and sharing of duties between men and women. According to the census, female producers are most involved in day-to-day record keeping and financial management decisions.
“What I appreciate about other women in agriculture is we do think differently, in many ways,” Krusemark said, “so both men and women have a lot to contribute, and I’m just glad that I’ve been fortunate enough to play a role, and I hope that I continue to for a while.”
Lifting others up
Still, there are strides to be made to bring more women into the leadership fold. The Council has never had a female chair – though Gail Donkers currently serves as vice chair, and it wasn’t until 1989 that a female presided over a commodity group in Minnesota after Sharon Clark was named president of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association.
The Minnesota Soybean Growers Association (MSGA) has elected three women as president in its 60-year history, most recently Jamie Beyer, who led MSGA from 2019-2021 and now serves on the American Soybean Association. Earlier this year, St. James farmer Rose Wendinger was elected MSGA treasurer.
MSR&PC and MSGA have also joined forces in holding workshops and seminars promoting emerging farmers. Sometimes, the obstacle for many family farmers – both women and men – is finding enough hours in the day to volunteer.
“We keep trying to recruit, and I try engage in conversations with the next generation and try to encourage them,” Krusemark said. “You have to respect that a lot of these young women have careers and families. And I appreciate that. I couldn’t do it while my boys were growing up. To me, it’s family first and then the farm.”
Krusemark has participated in local and national events that promote women farmers. The Council has also been a longtime supporter of the Women’s Agricultural Leadership Conference.
“There is something special about women in agriculture,” said Donkers, who attended the conference for the first time in 2023. “We lift each other up, rather than tear each other down.”
Krusemark agreed with her colleague. In her experiences, women generally offer more positive reinforcement and are less guarded. Our differences, Krusemark said, should be celebrated.
“There are obviously men that are good encouragers and mentors as well, and we both have a lot to contribute,” she said. “Women in ag is just a different connection that I really do appreciate.”