Have you ever stopped to thank a female farmer for growing the food on your plate? Women contribute greatly to agriculture and have played a significant role in the advancement of the industry over the years. In fact, there are 1.2 million female farmers and ranchers in the U.S., and more than half of farms have at least one female producer. The last Census of Agriculture revealed these female operators contributed $148 billion in agricultural sales in 2017. Thank you to the hard-working women who wear many hats on farms across the nation to provide us with food, fiber and daily necessities all while protecting our natural resources! Discover more about some of Texas’ farm moms via our women in ag video series.
Gina Sugarek – Beeville, Texas
Gina grew up on a ranch and said she knows what it’s like to be an ag kid and is passing the same values of hard work onto her daughter. Gina, her husband and daughter farm 4,500 acres in Beeville, Texas. The goal on their family farm is to continue the legacy the generations before them set – to be a family farm and to pass it onto the next generation. Learn more about Gina’s role on the farm and how they’ve had to adapt over time.
Kyla Hamilton – Shallowater, Texas
Kyla said she’s a farmer, but she is a mom first. Their farm in Shallowater, Texas, is truly a family farm, where Kyla and her husband work in a partnership to raise their four kids and grow food for our great state. Conservation is a priority on their farm and it allows them produce food using efficient methods. Explore the role Kyla has in managing day-to-day operations as well the pride she takes in raising her family on their farm.
Kelly Whatley – Odem, Texas
Before marrying her farmer husband, Kelly said she shared the vision of what a farm is with so many other Americans because she did not grow up in agriculture. Immersing herself in their family farm, she discovered today’s family farm operates on a larger scale but also in a way that protects our natural resources. Kelly, her husband and two boys farm several thousand acres of corn, cotton and grain sorghum in Odem, Texas. Get to know Kelly and the vital role she plays in managing their farming business as well as sharing their farm’s story with consumers.
Arleen Averhoff – Ellis County, Texas
Arleen wakes up each morning with a “get the job done” attitude and knows the importance of being a jack of all trades on the farm. She and her husband have been farming for decades in Ellis County, Texas. Thanks to innovation in agricultural technology, they have been able to grow more crops on less land with less inputs than at any point in history. Arleen said she knows how important it is to buy healthy, affordable food and to know where that food comes from because she, too, is a consumer. Find out more about Arleen and the impact she has made on the farm and in her family’s life.
