Today’s Objectives

2. Today’s Objectives • Women In Agriculture Education • Annie’s Project • Background • Curriculum • Outcomes and Impacts • Follow-up classes: Grain Marketing, Financial Management and Spreadsheets • Benefits

3. *2007 Estimated Source: USDA NASS Census of Agriculture Women In Agriculture Education

4. Women In Agriculture Education WHY? • Underserved Audience • Unique Learning Needs • Safe Learning Environment • Mentoring, Nurturing

5. What is Annie’s Project?

6. Background • Based on the life a of farm woman • Grew up in a small town • Goal - to marry a farmer • Spent a lifetime learning how to be an involved business partner • Together they did great things • Challenges • three generations living under one roof • Low profitability • Changing farm enterprises • Raising a family

7. Background – cont. • Annie’s Project - founded out of need • Farm women have diverse backgrounds • Being married to a farmer or being a woman in a male dominated business has its challenges • Some women handle this responsibility very well • In Annie’s Project, farm women find answers, strength, and friendship • In Annie’s Project, farm women grow in confidence, business skills, and community prestige.

8. Background - cont. • Began in 2003 • Women and men impassioned for the role of farm women have expanded the program to seven states • Describe Annie’s Project to farm women and watch their eyes light up. • Instructors as well as students seem to find a piece of Annie in his or her lives. • Annie’s Project is designed to fill an educational need for risk management

9. Background - cont.

10. Background – cont. • February, 2003 – First Class held at Kaskaskia College, Centralia, IL • February, 2004 –Washington County, IA • April, 2004 –Mahaska County, IA • November 2004 to March 2005-Classes Held (size) • Iowa 11 (189) Missouri 3 (53) • Illinois 20 (264) Indiana 1 (18) • Nebraska 2 (26) Wisconsin 1 (5) Total 38 (555) • Scheduled Summer 2005 Classes • Iowa 5 Missouri 1 Nebraska 1 Indiana 1 Illinois 4 Wisconsin 2 Ohio 2 Kansas 2

11. Mission Statement • To empower farm women to be better business partners through networks and by managing and organizing critical information

12. Annie’s Project Objectives • Annie’s project is designed to empower farm women to manage information systems used in critical decision making processes and to build local networks throughout the state. • The target audience is farm women with a passion for business and involvement.

13. Curriculum • Objective • Fill the desire to become a better person • Understand the common needs and conditions • Easily adapted to local audience • Provide a network of support • Discover a yearning for learning • Legitimize learner’s role • Build skills, confidence, purpose and control • Interesting and rewarding • A clear purpose of farm management tools and skills

14. Curriculum – Cont. • Production Risk • Crop and Livestock Insurance • Enterprise Diversification • Natural Disasters • Grain Storage Loss

15. Curriculum – cont. • Market Risk • General Marketing • Commodity Programs • Market Analysis and Pricing • Marketing Plans • Marketing Tools • Production Contracts • Value Added Ventures

16. Curriculum – cont. • Financial Risk • Strategic Planning • FSA Documentation and Programs • Financing • Business Plans • Financial Management • Policy and Trade • Global Impacts

17. Curriculum – cont. • Legal Risk • General Legal Risk • Environmental Liability • Contract Arrangements • Business Structure • Tax Liabilities and Law

18. Curriculum – cont. • Human Resources Risk • Personnel Management • Health • Family Issues • Life, Health, and Long Term Care Insurance • Safety

19. Class Structure • Six - 3 Hour Seminar Classes • 10 – 25 Participants • Classroom and Computer Lab • Community College, High School, Library • Participant and Instructor Team-Taught • Flexible Course Structure • Networking and Mentor Development

20. Class Outline • Session One • Human Resources and Time Management • Course Introduction • Risk Assessment Survey • Colors • What is Management?

21. Class Outline – cont. • Session Two • Women and Money • Business Plans • Mission Statements and Goals • History and Tradition of Your Farm • How Property is Titled: Who Else is in business with you? • Cash and Crop Share Leases

22. Class Outline – cont. • Session Three • Financial Documentation • Balance Sheet • Income Statement • Cash Flow • Retirement & Estate Planning • Using Spreadsheets

23. Class Outline – cont. • Session Four • Risk Management • Developing Marketing Plans • Developing a Risk Management Strategy • Ten Habits of Profitable Farmers • Types of Insurance - Life Insurance, Crop Insurance, Health & Disability

24. Class Outline – cont. • Session Five • Fast Tools • Financial Records and How to Interpret Information • Discussion on topics for the next meeting

25. Class Outline – cont. • Session Six • Your topics • End of class evaluation • Follow up evaluation • Newsletters • Web-site • Continuing activities

26. Expected Outcomes • Increased knowledge, skills and abilities • Risk management • Computers and the internet • Spreadsheets and databases • Financial software • Marketing and crop insurance • Human resource skills of communication, negotiation and interpersonal skills

27. End of Class Impacts • Participants increased knowledge, skills and abilities • Importance of goal setting • Increased interpersonal skills • Increased organizational and time management skills • Increased skills working with professionals to meet individual and farm business skills

28. Documented Long Term Impacts • Behavior changes in management techniques • Increased confidence in decision making skills • Implementation of whole farm risk management plans • Become better farm managers and business partners

29. What they Say • “Annie’s Project has opened my eyes to the complexity of farming, helping me to understand the importance of strategic and purposeful planning. The respect I have for all farmers as true businessmen has grown significantly.”Julie Birky, Parnell

30. What they Say • I have completely enjoyed Annie’s Project. It made me realize that I am on task with some aspects of my record keeping and that I need to improve in others. These meetings have sparked a “drive” in me to challenge myself “to do better.”Jane Janecek, Washington

31. What they Say • This project has opened up communication and information shared between my husband and myself. I work full time in town and I have learned so much from this project that will help me help my husband with our farm business.Luetta Greene, rawfordsville

32. What they Say • This class has allowed me to meet other farm wives who have the same interests and goals that I do. We have formed a network of “farm wives” who can help to support each other. I have also been exposed to many new topics and feel like I have been able to carry on an intelligent conversation with my husband, and understand his worries and concerns. Mary Miller, Winfield

33. What they Say • I’m very glad I came. Because I’ve only been into the farming situation for three to four years and am a city girl to start with, I had no idea of the depth of the farming process as a business. This class has really started me thinking about how little I truly know – it has also wetted the desire to learn more… Dianne Hayes, Lone Tree

34. What they say • I was surprised by - • The number of farm women interested in this class and the wide age range • How much information we were taught • I never knew that - • I am like a lot of other farm women who take pride in their family farm • There were other farm women truly trying to understand

35. What they say • I enjoyed trying to – • Figuring out what my personality traits are • Help my spouse market our grain • I changed my mind about - • There is a real need for a marketing plan • My role in farming, I learned more ways that I can be a very active part of the farm

36. What they say • I wish I had known – • About so much of these topics – 25 years ago • How great this class was going to be – I would have convinced some other people to join • I appreciated – • The binder and all the handouts • That classmates helped each other understand different topics

37. What they say • I now understand – • Grain marketing and crop insurance • Farming records can be kept easier with the use of a computer, and now I can help make decisions more confidently • I plan to – • Try and be a better partner • Get the books more organized

38. Demographics • Iowa Classes – 189 Range • Average Age – 42.6 24 to 76 • Average Years Farming – 17 0 to 42 • Average Children – 2.32 0 to 6 • Average Acres Owned – 396 40 to 973 • Average Acres Crop Share – 363 163 to 576 • Average Acres Cash Rented – 387 157 to 651 • Average Acres Custom Farmed–132 0 to 436

39. Demographics 189 Iowa Participants

40. Program Funding Participant Fees 15% Partnership Contributions 50% Grant Funds 35%

41. Our Extension Partners

42. From Here • USDA-RMA/Annie’s Project Advisory Council • Seeking partnerships (public and private) to sustain and expand the program • AMES On-line Resources • Women Marketing Grain (coming winter ‘05) • Financial Management • Resources: • http://www.extension.iastate.edu/annie

43. Benefits • Provides an opportunity to be involved in educational opportunities for farm women • Is an essential piece in the overall educational opportunities for farm women • Provides farm women with the skills, confidence and ability to assume leadership roles in agriculture • Sustains the viability of agriculture

44. THANK YOU QUESTIONS Bob Wells Field Specialist Agriculture Economics Iowa State University Extension 641.673.5841 wellsjb@iastate.edu