The American Farm Bureau’s Women’s Leadership Committee, with support from JBS and CoBank, has unveiled a new study intended to guide industry programming dedicated to women in agriculture for the next five years.
Women play a vital role in American agriculture—contributing through production, advocacy, education and entrepreneurship, while strengthening rural communities through leadership and outreach. According to the most recent Census of Agriculture, women make up more than one-third of and are increasingly leading in farm management, agribusiness, research and advocacy.
The Women in Ag Study provides a roadmap to guide future programming and insights. This programming will take a deep dive into leadership pathways, mentorship and training needs.
o High Confidence & Leadership Readiness: Nine out of 10 women surveyed reported feeling confident speaking at community meetings, and nearly 90% express active interest in stepping into agriculture leadership roles now or in the future.
o Targeted Skills Training Demands: Almost half (44%) of women surveyed reported interest in gaining equipment or technical skills training, while nearly 6 in 10 respondents (56%) expressed interest in business and financial management training. And 45% of respondents expressed interest in policy or civic engagement training, while 42% expressed interest in community involvement or advocacy training. This aligns with the focus of Farm Bureau’s Women’s Communications Bootcamp, which has trained more than 350 women in agriculture in communications and advocacy. 
o Interest in Mentorship: The Women’s Leadership Committee has continually focused on the importance of mentorship among women in agriculture, an interest identified by 45% of survey respondents. Programs such as AgConnectHER serve to inspire and equip women in agriculture to succeed in leadership, not just in the agricultural industry but well beyond.
o Prioritizing Succession Planning: More than half (52%) of all respondents highlighted a critical need for education surrounding farm succession and ownership transition, marking a major focus area for future organizational programming.
AFBF and its research partners will continue analyzing the study results to gain additional insights. An executive summary of the study is available here.
