Project Title: Heart of the Farm – Women in Agriculture Round 1 (2003)       

Project Leader (s):  Carol Roth, Rose Skora, Joy Kirkpatrick,                      

Project Collaborators:  Rami Reddy

Project Category: Outreach/Education

Situation:  Historically (1970s-1980s), the University of Wisconsin-Extension has sponsored programs for farmwomen, but these efforts were often abandoned despite a continuing need.  With the increase of value-added enterprises in Wisconsin, which include substantial numbers of women, the need for educational programs targeted at these entrepreneurs is even more warranted.  A study by the Program on Agricultural Technology Studies (PATS) among Wisconsin dairy farm women (The Roles of Women on Wisconsin Dairy Farms at the Turn of the 21st Century) suggests that reviving opportunities for education and information on business and risk management is necessary. 

Response:  Heart of the Farm-Women in Agriculture is an educational program that has been used successfully in Wisconsin among many of the conventional agricultural commodities (i.e. dairy, grains, etc.).  The mission of HOF is to provide farm management and production education for women to help manage their business risks and to improve their farm business decision making skills.  HOF addresses the needs of farm women by:  (1) providing education on pertinent topics, (2) connecting them with agricultural resources and (3) creating support networks.  This project used “Heart of the Farm” as the vehicle to target women who are involved in value-added agriculture. This project:

• Identified the educational needs (risk management) of the target population (This was done via focus groups and mail-surveys.)
• Developed educational materials that met the identified needs of the target population
• Developed a conference that provided the target population with the educational materials that they identified as important for their value-added enterprises. (See Attached Brochure)
• Evaluated the program and identified additional needs of attendees (See Attached Survey)
• Documented the process so that this effort can be replicated in other areas of the state. (See attached Program Survey Summary)

Results:  As a result of this project

• Educational needs of the targeted population were identified.  
• Evaluated and documented the program

Outcomes:
4 more Direct Marketing 101 Conferences are being held throughout the state (’05-’06)