I discovered through the years of writing for Kansas Farm Bureau’s member magazine, Kansas Living, that women comprised a majority of the farms selling their products directly to consumers. In fact, the first article assigned to me was about Valerie Visser and her “Fork in the Road” business near Riley. Valerie grew up on a farm in northwest Kansas then married Justin Visser, a farmer north of Manhattan. She wanted to contribute to her family’s income so she began growing garden produce and offering it for sale on the honor system off the flatbed of a 1963 Chevy pickup. She’s grown that business into a beautiful shop offering beef, pork, chicken, frozen dinners and fresh vegetables 24/7 on the honor system.
We are joining in on the celebration declared by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which set aside 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer by stating, “The year will spotlight the essential roles women play across agrifood systems, from production to trade, while often going unrecognized. Women farmers are central to food security, nutrition and economic resilience.”
We are also joining in with numerous other agriculture organizations such as American Farm Bureau Federation’s Women’s Leadership Committee, which has a full slate of activities in 2026 such as the Advocate, Cultivate and Empower (ACE) Summit June 1-3 in Washington, D.C.
We will focus on the wonderful farm and ranch women in our Shop Kansas Farms (SKF) network by shining the spotlight on the roles they play in providing nutritious food to our plates.
In more than 10 years of writing about our wonderful farm and ranch families, here are a few things I learned about women farmers and ranchers. (Yes, there is a difference – farmers raise crops and ranchers raise animals. Some are both, but many specialize in one or the other).
1. They are entrepreneurs.
Every farm woman I meet has an abundance of entrepreneurial creativity. Farmers only get paid when the harvest comes in or the livestock are sold, and those times can be few and far between. However, farm women love starting side businesses, such as Visser’s The Fork in the Road to provide a different revenue stream.
2. They are highly educated.
Many have at least one, if not two or three college degrees. It is common to find a woman with an advanced degree wearing cowboy boots covered in bits of barnyard and a pair of leather work gloves stuck in her back pocket.
3. They are political.
They understand how much local, state and national policy impacts their day-to-day life on the farm or ranch, so they get involved.
4. They are connecting with consumers to dispel fears about the food they choose.
Farmers are the target of a lot of misinformation. However, these women are advocating, and they are doing it with such clever grace that they are starting to break through the misinformation.
5. They are the ultimate orchestra conductors.
A farm operation is as complex as the huge machinery that works their fields and farm women are the master organizers of the activity that often starts at 5 a.m. with farm chores until 9 p.m. when the kids are tucked in bed. And during harvest season, they schedule life on the farm for 24-hours-a-day until harvest is done.
6. They don’t raise sissies.
The most striking photographic image I have ever taken of a tough farm kid is of a 5-year-old girl with a cheese stick in one hand and a calf testicle in the other. Her family were working calves, which involves castrating bull calves to make them into steers. Those testicles are later fried and become calf fries or mountain oysters – a delicacy to some. This little girl was taking the fresh-cut testicle and throwing them in a bucket with one hand and chewing on a cheese stick with another. The mom, a true cowgirl as well as the owner of an upscale clothing boutique in a large city, laughed and said, “I bet you don’t see too many city kids doing that!”
7. They are nutrition experts.
If you want to know which is healthier to eat – an impossible burger or real meat – and if GMOs (genetically modified organisms) are safe to eat, ask a female farmer or rancher who feeds their children the foods they raise. They are not going to give their child unsafe food.
8. They are social media influencers.
Farm women seem to have this social media thing figured out and are building tribes of followers who trust them.
9, They are tough.
Routinely, these women handle horses and cattle that can weigh up to 1,500 pounds. I’ve seen a 5-foot-1 woman stare down an angry 1,000-pound cow and win. As a result, these women are fearless.
10. They are changing the face of agriculture.
In the coming year, I’ll introduce you to the women of SKF who embody these various attributes. To paraphrase a line from The Greatest Showman, “Look out, for here they come, and they’re marching on to the beat they drum.”
Rick McNary is a leader in bringing people together to build community and reduce hunger in sustainable ways.
