This Women’s Equality Day, the National Corn Growers Association invites those on and off the farm alike to consider the important role women have and continue to play in agriculture. According to the 2017 Census of Agriculture, 36 percent of all producers are now female, with 56 percent of farms having at least one female decision-maker.
Many of these women are also playing a key role in conversations in food and farming through their work in programs such as CommonGround. For more than eight years, CommonGround volunteers have served as resources for consumers who have questions about how their food is grown.
Sharing their personal stories, the volunteers who make up this grassroots movement foster conversations, based in shared values, that help moms off the farm discover that they can feel good about the food they feed their families. America’s farm families provide an amazing array of options but, with so many competing claims, honest questions are understandable. By serving as resources, these women have shared their unique understanding of important topics, such as the difference between organic and conventional crops and how ranchers care for their animals, more than a billion times since 2010.
To find out more about how women are sparking these important conversations and to learn about the participants near you, click here.
CommonGround is a grassroots movement to foster conversation among women — on farms and in cities — about where our food comes from. The National Corn Growers Association, the United Soybean Board and their state affiliates developed CommonGround to give farm women the opportunity to engage with consumers through a wide range of activities. For more information, visit www.findourcommonground.com.
COVID-19 Resources
NCGA is taking a series of actions to do our part to help contain the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and the economic fallout it is creating for corn farmers and our customers. Short term, this means instituting policies to protect the health and safety of our stakeholders and the broader communities we serve. Long term, we’re focused on creating solutions to help corn farmers and our customers recover from the financial impacts of this crisis.
CommonGround
CommonGround is a group of farmers connecting with consumers through conversations about science and research and personal stories about food and misinformation surrounding farming. Supported by the NCGA and state corn organizations.
SHP
The Soil Health Partnership (SHP) is a farmer-led initiative that fosters transformation in agriculture through improved soil health. Administered by NCGA the partnership has more than 220 working farms enrolled in 16 states. SHP’s mission is to utilize science and data to partner with farmers who are adopting conservation agricultural practices that improve the economic and environmental sustainability of the farm.