The number of women landowners continues to rise. A new free workshop, “Women Caring for the Land: Conservation Learning Circles,” specifically supports women who own farmland but do not live there and might rent it to an area farmer. These sessions connect women landowners to conservation resources along with other women landowners in similar situations. Workshops will take place September 12 in Madison and September 19 in Milwaukee.
Women now farm or co-farm over 300 million acres of U.S. land—about a third of the nation’s farmland—and own an additional 87 million acres, according to the Farmland Information Center. Over the next 20 years, 371 million acres of farmland are expected to change hands as farmers retire or leave their land to the next generation. Research shows that many women farmers and landowners share a strong commitment to conservation; however, they face gender barriers that impact their ability to manage their land for long-term sustainability.
“While women increasingly are the key decision-makers on farms, the data unfortunately shows they are underrepresented in conservation program participation,” explains Lisa Kivirist, coordinator of these Women Caring for the Land sessions and author of Soil Sisters: A Toolkit for Women Farmers. “For non-operator women farmland owners in particular, some may find it intimidating to talk with their seasoned farmer tenants, especially when it comes to topics like conservation. These Women Caring for the Land sessions uniquely aim to connect women landowners with both each other along with agency women representing a variety of conservation programs and initiatives in a learning circle format conducive to how women learn best.”
Facilitated by the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES), these Wisconsin sessions are part of a larger seven-state initiative led by the Women, Food and Agriculture Network (WFAN) in partnership with the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
“Women learn best from other women and these Women Caring for the Land workshops help us women landowners connect to both resources and develop networks with one another,” shares Carla Wright of Savanna Hill Farm and president of the MOSES Board of Directors. “My personal conservation goal is to manage my land for zero soil loss and provide habitat for declining songbird species. I personally saw the importance of land management that prioritizes soil conservation during the recent flooding in Dane County. Having a well-established grassed waterway in my lowest field prevented significant soil erosion while handling record amounts of water running off the surrounding hills and fields.”
The September 12 workshops in Madison take place at the Stafford Rosenbaum office at 222 West Washington Ave. On September 19, the same program will be offered in Milwaukee at the Stafford Rosenbaum office, 1200 North Mayfair Road. The workshop will be offered from 8-10 a.m. over breakfast and repeated from 11:30 – 1:30 over lunch. Women landowners can choose the session that’s convenient for their schedule. Women Caring for the Land is free for women landowners to attend, but space is limited and pre-registration is required.
To register, see mosesorganic.org/in-her-boots/events/#wcl or call the MOSES office at 715-778-5775. If you have questions about the workshops or would like to be notified about similar training in the future, contact Lisa Kivirist, project coordinator, at lisa@mosesorganic.org or 608-329-7056 (farm office).