University of Idaho researchers Ryanne Pilgeram and Katie Dentzman have published two papers as part of their study on women farmers, including one that found the increase in the number of young farmers may be overstated.

That study is on the effect of changes in data collection in the 2017 U.S. Census of Agriculture on the number of women farmers.

Beginning in 2002, the census allowed up to three operators of a farm. For example, a family with a father, mother, son and daughter-in-law might register “dad,” “mom” and “son” as “farm operators” and select the father as “principal operator.”

In 2017, the same family could list all four family members as farm operators and principal operators.

“This change in how the data were collected makes it appear that there were more women operators, and more women principal producers on the farm while in reality the mom and daughter-in-law could have been contributing to the farm in exactly the same way for decades,” Pilgeram and Dentzman write.

The change could also make it appear as though the average age of farmers has decreased, they say, noting that “more and younger farmers are both politically popular findings.”

“Thus, it seems that significant demographic shifts took place between 2012 and 2017 on this farm when in actuality, no shift took place — rather, data collection became richer and more accurate,” they write.

This clarification will help researchers use census data to make more knowledgeable comparisons over time, especially concerning women’s participation in U.S. agriculture, they say in the article.

In the other article, research suggests “queer” farmers are more prevalent than expected and different from other farmers in significant ways.

Because there is no published quantitative research, they say, “this invisibility renders support for queer farmers difficult, especially at a time when the USDA is increasingly emphasizing the need for nondiscrimination based on sexual orientation as well as specific programing for LGBT individuals.”

According to the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, the term “queer” is an adjective used by some people, particularly younger people, whose sexual orientation is not exclusively heterosexual. Typically, for those who identify as queer, the terms “lesbian,” “gay” and “bisexual” are perceived as too limiting or fraught with cultural connotations they feel don’t apply to them.

Reasons to study queer farmers, Pilgeram and Dentzman say in the article, include challenging discriminatory farming models, increasing the visibility of queer farmers and combating the stereotype that queer farmers only exist in urban locations, and exploring whether the data support findings that queer farmers are involved in “transformative” agricultural practices, such as sustainable and alternative farming methods.

The researchers estimate there are 16,604 queer men farmers and 7,100 queer women farmers in the U.S. The actual numbers are likely higher, but cannot be identified given limitations of the census data, the authors say.

Pilgeram and Dentzman say further information is needed.

“In order to combat marginalization, it is vital to recognize the existence and unique needs of queer farmers,” they say in the article.

Glance Box

How the USDA Changed The Way Women Farmers Are Counted in the Census of Agriculture{/child_related_content_title}{child_related_content_content}

file:///Users/cem07/Downloads/cmsarticle_736-5.pdf

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https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08941920.2020.1806421

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file:///Users/cem07/Downloads/cmsarticle_736-5.pdf

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08941920.2020.1806421