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Number of women farmers growingBEND, Ore. (AP)--As a farmer's daughter, Leslie Elliott Knight grew up with a love for the land. So did her two brothers, but one became a doctor, one a teacher and she eventually took charge of the family farm in south Jefferson County. She earned a bachelor's degree in crop science at Oregon State University in 1982. "My dad farmed the acreage that I'm farming with my husband now, and I came home and said, 'Can I farm?' and my dad kind of rolled his eyes," she said. But she said he helped her get going and she has raised crops such as carrot seed and wheat there ever since, on her own or with her husband, Dave Knight. She says she likes the lifestyle despite the financial challenges. In recent years, the number of women running farms and ranches in Jefferson, Deschutes and Crook counties has increased at a higher rate than for men. According to the 2002 Census of Agriculture, the most recent available, women who described themselves as the principal operators of farms increased by 28 percent in Jefferson County between 1997 and 2002, from 42 to 54. In Crook County, they increased about 25 percent and in Deschutes County they rose about 18 percent, from 305 to 360 but are outnumbered by men in all three counties. Jackie Nixon, president of Central Oregon Women for Agriculture, said the increase may reflect an increase in widowed farm owners. Many widows lease their land instead of farming it themselves, she said, and may still be counted as operators. However, the U.S. Department of Agriculture tries to eliminate farm owners who lease out their land from the principal operator category, said Chris Mertz, director of the National Agricultural Statistics Services office in Portland. With rising fuel and feed costs, the federal government provides loans specifically for women and minorities and also makes and guarantees loans for other family farmers. For women determined to keep their farms running, the lifestyle seems to be a common factor. Few interviewed by The Bulletin newspaper of Bend ran their farms without the help of a "first job" or a spouse who worked off the farm at one time or another. "The first job pays for the hay and the house and all of that," said Jan Isbell, who runs Wanderlust Llamas on 5 acres in north Redmond. Her "first job" is managing the office of an electrical contractor in Redmond. "It's all part of the lifestyle that we choose to have because it's really, really rewarding," she said. Alpaca and merino sheep rancher Maryann Huyett works six hours a day at an adult foster care facility. "It's definitely not a get rich quick (scheme)," said Huyett, who owns Bush Garden Alpacas and Merinos in the Terrebonne area. "It's stewardship of property, as opposed to ownership." And Lani Sykes, who raises meat and dairy goats, works as an administrative assistant for Central Oregon Community College in Redmond. Women farmers, she said, are "working part- or full-time and then taking care of these animals at the same time. I think most of them are doing it just for the love of it." Livestock rancher and vegetable grower Jerre Kosta Dodson's husband, Sean, works in the Willamette Valley; when cattle rancher Artice Allen's husband, Clarence, was alive, he worked at a mill for years after they bought their land 50 years ago. Farming is a second career for Kosta Dodson, who worked as an archaeologist for 20 years. "We both had a childhood dream of being farmers and came from farming families," Kosta Dodson said. "So we got into it emotionally. And then the work started." Now, she and her husband want to prove their small farm can pencil out financially. For Kosta Dodson, that means she has pushed herself and the farm to produce enough to become sustainable, so her husband can eventually come work on the farm full time. "We are poised for him to make that move," she said. "That took us six years." She cared for 60 head of Dexter cattle, about 55 sheep and 20 chickens. She also raises what she called, "your family garden on steroids." Many women say they like the peacefulness of farming on their own. Some said their interest in agriculture blossomed when they bought animals for their children. Sykes said she wanted to be a veterinarian, but her goat ranch got its start when her daughter was in 4-H. After her daughter left for college, Sykes kept the herd. Elliott Knight said she was torn between her love for the lifestyle and the difficulty of making it work financially but wants to stick it out. "There's always trade-offs for whatever you choose to do in life. Ever since I was a little girl, I've just always loved the land." 7/14/08 Date: 7/3/08
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