More women are now actively engaged in agriculture in Iowa and other states than ever before.
A group of women who farm aims to start conversations about the food they grow and how to protect our land.
Ashley Pool, spokeswoman for CommonGround, says they want to spread the message about what is being done on the farm and how they’re always thinking of conservation of precious resources, especially our water.
“We use a lot of conservation pools that the U.S.D.A. and NRCS teams up with us, they help us to learn the new trends that are going on,” Pool says. “We also use cover crops. We like to keep our nutrients in the soil. We don’t like our organic matter to blow away.” Pool says CommonGround stresses the importance of technology that maximizes production while conserving resources and protecting the environment.
“We are farm women. We are moms,” Pool says. “We are not going to put anything into the soil, put anything into feed that’s GMO-related. We are not going to do anything that will harm our family, our soil. We want this to last generations.”
The average American is now at least three generations removed from the farm. Back in 1920, before the Great Depression struck, one in three Americans worked and lived on farms and ranches. Today that number is about one in 50. Pool was raised in the city and says her transition to the farm has been an exciting adventure.
“Coming from the city, I just want you to know that we are thinking about cities, we are trying to produce jobs,” she says. “We are trying to make sure that this sustains our nation.”
The change from a rural, agricultural nation to one that is mostly urban and industrialized has been constant over the past century in Iowa and elsewhere. She says farmers are the best stewards of natural resources.
(Thanks to Karla James)