Oct. 11 designated as ‘Kentucky Women in Agriculture Day’
FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) — Oct. 11 in Kentucky is now known as Kentucky Women in Agriculture Day, thanks to a proclamation signed today.
According to Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles, more than half of all farming operations in the United States list women as a principal operator or decision-maker, so it was important to recognize women as an essential part of today’s farming sector.
Quarles presented the proclamation at the Kentucky Women in Agriculture annual conference in Owensboro.
“Each year, the Kentucky Women in Agriculture organization brings together a community of like-minded female leaders in and around farming industries to learn from, collaborate with, and to promote one another,” said Babette Overman, president of KWIA. “We are so appreciative of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s support of our conference and our young women’s scholarships. We are thrilled to join KDA and Commissioner Quarles in proclaiming Oct. 11, 2022, ‘Kentucky Women in Agriculture Day.’”
The number of female farmers in Kentucky continues to grow; in 2017, 42,946 women farmed in Kentucky, up nearly 37 percent from the 2012 U.S. Department of Agriculture census. That census is taken once every five years and looks at land use and ownership, operator characteristics, production practices, income and expenditures.
