By Carie Moore
One of my goals is to promote and encourage local leadership and women in ag. I enjoy making sure that women know they are appreciated and valued in everything they do, no matter what their role is on a farm or rural community. I believe the future of agriculture and our small rural communities depend on men, women, and youth stepping up and volunteering or being on a board, and getting the training to do so.
Each year I coordinate a Ladies’ Ag night in my county for anyone to attend. It’s a way for women to network and share stories of the past year and get ideas for the year to come. We have raffles, a social, supper, and a great speaker. This year the theme was “From Our Roots We Grow Strong” and we talked about family and local foods with NDSU-Extension. We focused on Extension's “The Family Table” project and “On Your Table” from NDFB.
This year I took a poll of the ladies and was pleasantly surprised by the results. The Center of Food Integrity is a great resource for research geared to the public, on a national level. As a farmer myself, I find that information helpful, but I wanted to know locally how our producers and consumers felt. The results were as follows:
- 59% of the women currently sit on an active board
- When asked what will affect the future of ag, respondents said the following:
37% government
35% technology
15% conservation of land and resources
9% educating consumers and youth
4% plant and animal genetics
- 75% of the women eat between 5-7 meals together as a family each week
- 84% trust the U.S. food supply as a whole
I share this because these are the women involved in food production, and people I know. It isn’t just a name or just a farmer, it’s personal. These are women like you and I with families, jobs, and they play a part in the food you eat. They are active and educated. They are making decisions that affect their communities, the state of North Dakota, and in turn the national food supply.
They know that government, technology, conservation, and education are important for ag to prosper and they are an active part in making sure the right information gets shared. Meanwhile they are still focusing on their families and know the importance of communication between family members. Because of their jobs and interaction with other famers through boards and organizations and events like Ladies Ag, they trust each other and the food that their families produce and integrate into the nation’s food supply.
If we can all have a little more trust in each other as women, mentors, fellow moms, and laborers, that will go a long with in our trust and faith in the food that’s on your table!