Micah Gallagher: Why women are important in Manatee County agriculture
Whitney Houston once said, "I like being a woman in a man's world. After all, men can't wear dresses, but we can wear the pants." This is a perfect depiction to how women in agriculture feel about their positions in the industry.
At one point in time women were not allowed in the agriculture industry, but once they were it changed the face of agriculture forever, especially in the eyes of the FFA organization and in the fields where our commodities are grown.
Being a part of Braden River High School's FFA chapter, I have a front-row view of how women have impacted this amazing organization on a national, state and local level. In 1969, women were officially allowed to be recognized as FFA members at the national level. Prior to this, women were only permitted membership at the local and state levels.
According to the University of Indiana, today 34 percent of FFA membership is female, while more than 50 percent of the state leadership positions are held by women. This statistic is even evident in our FFA chapter at school. More than half of our members are female, and our officer team consists of eight females out of 13 officers total.
In comparison, 10 out of 12 ag teachers in Manatee County are women. This demonstrates that the influence of women is not only in our membership but is within our advisors as well.
The national FFA organization opening membership to female allowed the national, state and local FFA to double in membership, thus proving a foundation for those female FFA members to build off of and become women ag advisors. These women advisors would have an opportunity to become agricultural enthusiasts alongside the men and show them that they can make a difference in the next generation of agriculture students.
By working side by side with the men in agriculture, women were faced with a controversy regarding their work ethic and morals. One representation of a woman who overcame the disagreement is Temple Grandin. Grandin's disability of autism allowed her to view how animals react when under pressure or in specific environments, especially with cattle.
Having the desire to work with cattle and to improve how they were handled in production as well as processing led her to design more humane feedlots and slaughterhouses.
Temple was determined and well driven to overcome the stereotype of women not belonging in not only the cattle business, but also in the field of agriculture. As a result of never backing down, her mechanisms in cattle production and processing spread throughout the United States. Her equipment can even be visible in Manatee County.
Throughout our county, we have many farms of various commodities that women either operate or help operate on a daily basis. In Manatee County alone, 25 percent of our local farms are managed under a sole woman while the rest have women in some aspect of production of the farm, according to the USDA Women Operations in 2012.
Having so many women in our county being active in agriculture proves that women belong in the industry just as much as men. These women are just a few of the many who made milestones not simply in farming, but in the power of women in agriculture.
When looking at Manatee County, you are surrounded by agriculture everywhere you turn. Many seem to associate this industry with men rather than women due to the rigorous physical labor. But the power of an ag woman runs deeper than just the surface; they are inside our FFA chapters as members, officers, and advisors. They are in the heart of several farms and operations that make up 300-plus farms in the county.
And they are the drive and force behind the reason why I am proud to call myself a woman in agriculture.
This story was originally published November 10, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Micah Gallagher: Why women are important in Manatee County agriculture ."