Video: Organization Educates Women on Agriculture

[jwplatform QrZe0iqp]

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) — A government study points to shrinking family farms, even as the value of crops and livestock continues to go up.

Now one Mississippi organization wants to make sure women in particular are prepared.

“As the whole farming community gets older, what’s going to happen to their farms if there’s no one to pass it on to?” said Mary Jane Coign, Mississippi Women for Agriculture.

That’s where Mississippi Women for Agriculture comes in – educating women across the state on farming.

The number of them is growing.

“Even though prices have been good for the last few years, they’re beginning to decline now, and so a lot of time the woman is stepping into the role and not only doing the bookkeeping chores, but also doing the actual on the farm management, and a lot of work on the farm,” said sweet potato farmer Sylvia Clark.

“They need to know how to take care of, and be good stewards of the land and hold onto their farms, and we’re here to help,” Coign said.

These women say they’re concerned about the decline in farms, but it’s not surprising.

Running their operation gets harder each year, with narrow profit margins and complicated government regulations.

“We want to see people continue to farm, or all the rest of us are going to be without something to eat,” Coign said.

They say it’s also important to educate children about agriculture.

“If you ask them where their food comes from, they say Kroger,” Coign said. They don’t realize that a farmer has had to grow it.”

For more information about Mississippi Women for Agriculture, go here: http://msucares.com/womenforag/.

Categories: Local News

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *