Women Encouraged to Continue Expanding Roles in Agriculture

As an animal science undergrad at South Dakota State University in the late 1970s, Franny Fritz was so used to seeing nearly all young men in her classes that she would hesitate if she noticed too many women.

Franny Fritz, Iroquois, South Dakota: “In my animal sciences classes, if I walked into a room that had more than five women – I’m not kidding, more than five women – I’d back out thinking I’m in the wrong room. Gracious! I’m in the wrong room.”

She wasn’t phased by being outnumbered, however, and earned her degree in 1978. She returned to the family dairy farm her mother had been managing in the five years since Franny’s father had died.

Franny Fritz, Iroquois, South Dakota: “I milked cows for 10 years. Mom and I did. And in ‘88, it was to the point of: get rid of the cows, get rid of the milk cows, or keep the milk cows and get rid of the beef cows.”

At 69, she’s just completed her 47th calving season, which still involves more than 100 cows.

Today, most college agriculture classes look much different than what Fritz experienced nearly 50 years ago. A 2012 study showed women enrolled in all agriculture majors slightly outnumbered men in undergraduate programs at 70 of the nation’s land-grant universities.

According to USDA, about 1.2 million women now represent about 36% of all producers. In Arizona and Alaska, the percentage of producers who are female sits at 48 percent, nearly matching their male counterparts. Nationwide data from the most recent Census of Agriculture shows that only 11% of female producers ran a farm alone in 2022, compared to 37 percent of male producers.

Fritz, who received the Dakotafest Woman Farmer/Rancher of the Year award in August at a ceremony in Mitchell, South Dakota, felt many were initially skeptical of her running a ranch on her own while others were encouraging. She says most skeptics came around after losing the local bet that she wouldn’t last a year.

But the negative encounters did take their toll, especially in those early years. One moment that stands out happened at a tractor parts counter.

Franny Fritz, Iroquois, South Dakota: “This parts man was not kind to me. He just wasn’t. And he could be a pain in the rear end. Well, I went in one day. I was not having a good day. I just flat out wasn’t having a good day. I had a list of parts I needed. I didn’t know what the given name was for any of the parts but I could tell him where they belonged. And he started in. And I looked at him and I said: ‘Look, you don’t want to wait on me? That’s fine. I’ll stand here until somebody that does want to wait on me waits on me.’ And it was just like a switch went off in that man and he’s the best parts man today. Isn’t that something? Why did I have to do that? Why did I have to say that?”

It may have taken years, but she feels she has the community’s respect now.

Franny Fritz, Iroquois, South Dakota: “I now could go into a parts place… and the parts men are all there and it’s: ‘Hi Franny.’ You know? Or I can go into Magness where I sell cattle, and they know me there. I’m blessed. I am blessed.”

Cheryl Tevis, an agriculture journalist and magazine editor who spent 36 years at Successful Farming magazine, helped Iowa State University and several industry groups when they made plans to bring women involved in agriculture together for monthly meetings started in 2004.

Cheryl Tevis, President, Iowa Women in Agriculture: “Women possibly did not feel as welcome or comfortable in going to meetings with other farmers and others. And felt maybe in some cases somewhat inhibited to ask questions even though the questions they had were probably the same ones that were on the minds of everyone else there.”

By 2005, the monthly gatherings evolved to become the non-profit Iowa Women in Agriculture, which is still going strong 20 years later.

Cheryl Tevis, President, Iowa Women in Agriculture: “We also heard that women enjoyed learning with other women... It was about sharing experiences and also, you know, being able to have a good laugh.”

West central Iowan Tammy Deal had a father who made a point of asking if she or her sister wanted to take over the family’s farm. 

Tammy Deal, Producer, Panora, Iowa: “If you think back to the late 70s and early 80s, that was kind of unique at that point in time. But Dad was pretty open minded, and he wanted to give us the opportunity if we wanted to do that.”

Neither sister was  interested in taking on the job after college. Deal eventually moved to Kansas City and worked in the tech industry. However, when her father became ill in 2011, she decided to move back to Iowa to learn how to run the farm.

Tammy Deal, Producer, Panora, Iowa: “Much to my surprise I think, I ended up finding agriculture just really really interesting. When Dad had originally asked me, I didn’t think it was something I wanted to do at all. And then I knew Dad was needing more help so I thought okay I’ll give this a try. And I’m so glad I did.”

She now manages the farm alone, having lost her father in 2016. She crop-share leases to three younger farm families, who grow corn, soybeans and small grains on the land.

Deal now organizes what she calls “Ladies Lunches” where she brings in guest speakers for other women landowners in Guthrie County. She is also helping introduce a nephew to farm management because he has interest but little background.

Tammy Deal, Producer, Panora, Iowa: “I think a lot of us don’t know how very complicated a farmer’s job is, but they have to wear so many different hats to be good at their job.”

Franny Fritz agrees it is important that both men and women be encouraged to at least consider agriculture.

Franny Fritz, Iroquois, South Dakota: “Find something that you have an inner peace with. I don't care what it is, but if you have an inner peace and you're just peaceful. Yeah, we all have bad days. Yeah, the world…can feel like you've been dumped on really bad. But if you have that inner peace… you'll get through it.”

By Colleen Bradford Krantz, colleen.krantz@iowapbs.org