Honoring & Empowering Farm Identities at Women in Agriculture Gatherings in Illinois

My life has many connections to agriculture. I was raised in a rural central Illinois farming community, volunteered and worked on many farms across the country, and currently live on a farmstead assisting my family in growing tons of food and caring for honeybees.

At American Farmland Trust, the focus of my career has been solely dedicated to supporting farmers across our Midwest region. I recently realized that, despite these many connections to agriculture, I have never considered myself a farmer. Even when I was leading farm crews through spring plantings, bulk harvests, and CSA distribution during a farm management apprenticeship, I seldom claimed the title “farmer” as part of my identity. Now I’ve learned this is also the case for many women who hold vital roles in farm businesses and farm families across the Midwest and the world. I began to question why was this refusal to claim the “farmer” identity a part of my own thinking as well as that of my female peers engaged in farming?

Creating Spaces for Connection

During this past Women’s History Month (March), AFT collaborated with local partners in Northern Illinois to host events focused on farmland succession planning, sharing resources to empower women farmers and landowners to guide their land or family farm transition to the next generation.

Soil Health was another major theme of the events. The learning circles took place in McHenry and Kane County, in collaboration with our partners at Compeer Financial, The Land Conservancy of McHenry County and Kane-DuPage Soil & Water Conservation District. These events brought together women farmers, landowners, conservation professionals, and community members in an informal space designed for learning, connection, and sharing about experiences with farm transition, land access, and conservation.

These events are part of AFT's Women for the Land Initiative and are intended to be inclusive of women and gender-diverse community members. We acknowledge that creating safe spaces to build community can have a great impact on learning outcomes and making lasting connections.

Owning Our Connections to the Land

One of my key takeaways from these sessions was that farmland succession planning begins with women recognizing the important roles they play in agriculture. It can sometimes be a profound shift in perception, and ultimately an empowering realization for many women in agriculture. My colleague Angie Doucette, AFT's Midwest Farmland Protection manager, joined us to share key considerations for farmland succession planning and facilitated a discussion that allowed attendees to share their experience and voice their needs related to information, legal counsel, and other tools required for farmland succession planning.

The events had a fun interactive component that raised awareness of indicators of soil health, too, and encouraged farming practices that boost soil health over time.

Brenna Ness, a working lands ecologist at McHenry County Conservation District, joined us to share the principles of soil health and demonstrate differences between tilled and no-till soils using a slake test demonstration. Attendees were encouraged to bring a soil sample from their own farms to put through a slake test to understand soil health properties on their own land. Brenna guided everyone in attendance through conducting their own hands-on experiment. It was an exciting way for women who attended to make direct connections of soil health they learned in the session back to their land.

Connecting to Ourselves and Others

Many women who attended these gatherings, like me, seldom consider themselves farmers. However, the connection to the land and love for all things agriculture is well evident. The conversations and connections made amongst the multigenerational audiences deepened our connections as a group and underscored our vital roles in agriculture and land stewardship. Gathering with women at these events was a timely reminder of the power of spaces of solidarity, community, and owning one’s identity during times of uncertainty.

After supporting these events and participating in the discussions myself, I feel connected and more empowered in owning my identity as a farmer and land steward.

AFT is hosting more learning circles in Illinois later this year. Click here to learn more about our Women For the Land work in the Midwest.