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By Tana Shealey 

Recently, I served on a panel of judges of a student agricultural research competition during the 133rd Annual Farmers Conference of the Tuskegee University Cooperative Extension Program. Not only did the talent of the Lowndes County youth participants impress me, but I also admired the number of young women who presented their findings.

Could it be that more women are joining the noble scientific work of producing food for our nation? Yes, it could be. As I walked around the conference talking with Lowndes County stakeholders, I thought a little more about the impact of women in agriscience.

According to research published by Karnita Garner and William Acuff with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, 35% of the farmers in Alabama are women; 31% of women raise poultry or livestock. 

Growing up in Dothan, I recall my Grandma Bobbie teaching me ways to grow large heads of cabbages and collards. My mother taught me how to “put up” all the vegetables that our family grew on our land “inside the circle” in the City of Dothan. Daddy was my primary teacher on all-things gardening, but mother ran the production line of the Jackson family household. 

My mother and I cleaned and bagged collards, blanched peas, tomatoes and okra and packaged it for our family to eat during the winter. In a small way, Mother and I were forerunners of what is now a burgeoning occurrence — women working in agriculture.

The most recent data reveals women account for 17% of the managers, inspectors and supervisors of farms, while females comprise 26% of farmer laborers, graders and sorters (Garner and Acuff).

The proliferation of female farmers is not unique to Alabama, nor is it unique to the United States for that matter. Back then, our small family farming effort was a way to save money. For countless others, farming is a way of earning a living.

“Women produce more than half of the world’ s food, and in some countries that number is between 60 and 80%,” cite Garner and Acuff. 

While farmers face many obstacles, they have resources available through the Cooperative Extension System. As part of the Extension mission, researchers are finding the best methods to help in areas ranging including, but not limited to, farm management, crop production, animal health and production safety. 

Call our office at (334) 548-2315 so that we can connect you with the agents and educators who can share information with you that will help with your farming business. And as you continue to learn through Extension, visit our website at www.aces.edu. 

Oh, and just to start the celebration early, the United Nations is declaring 2026 to be the International Year of the Woman farmer. My momma and Grandma Bobbie would be proud!

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M University and Auburn University) is an equal opportunity for educators and employers. Everyone is Welcome!

Tana Jackson Shealey is director of the Cooperative Extension System Office located in Hayneville. She is a Ph.D. candidate, completing her dissertation in Career and Technical Education at Auburn University.