Annies Project

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Todays Objectives

• Women In Agriculture Education
• Annies Project
• Background
• Curriculum
• Outcomes and Impacts
• Follow-up classes Grain Marketing, Financial
  Management and Spreadsheets
• Benefits

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Women In Agriculture Education
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Women In Agriculture Education
WHY?

• Underserved Audience
• Unique Learning Needs
• Safe Learning Environment
• Mentoring, Nurturing

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What is Annies Project?
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Background

• Based on the life a of farm woman
• Grew up in a small town
• Goal - to marry a farmer
• Spent a lifetime learning how to be
  an involved business partner
• Together they did great things
• Challenges
• three generations living under one roof
• Low profitability
• Changing farm enterprises
• Raising a family

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Background cont.

• Annies Project - founded out of need
• Farm women have diverse backgrounds
• Being married to a farmer or being a woman in a
  male dominated business has its challenges
• Some women handle this responsibility very well
• In Annies Project, farm women find answers,
  strength, and friendship
• In Annies Project, farm women grow in
  confidence, business skills, and community
  prestige.

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Background - cont.

• Began in 2003
• Women and men impassioned for the role of farm
  women have expanded the program to seven states
• Describe Annies Project to farm women and watch
  their eyes light up.
• Instructors as well as students seem to find a
  piece of Annie in his or her lives.
• Annies Project is designed to fill an
  educational need for risk management

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Background - cont.
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Background cont.

• February, 2003 First Class held at Kaskaskia
  College, Centralia, IL
• February, 2004 Washington County, IA
• April, 2004 Mahaska County, IA
• November 2004 to March 2005-Classes Held (size)
• Iowa 11 (189) Missouri 3 (53)
• Illinois 20 (264) Indiana 1 (18)
• Nebraska 2 (26) Wisconsin 1 (5) Total 38
  (555)
• Scheduled Summer 2005 Classes
• Iowa 5 Missouri 1 Nebraska 1 Indiana 1
• Illinois 4 Wisconsin 2 Ohio 2 Kansas 2

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Mission Statement

• To empower farm women to be better business
  partners through networks and by managing and
  organizing critical information

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Annies Project Objectives

• Annies project is designed to empower farm women
  to manage information systems used in critical
  decision making processes and to build local
  networks throughout the state.
• The target audience is farm women with a passion
  for business and involvement.

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Curriculum

• Objective
• Fill the desire to become a better person
• Understand the common needs and conditions
• Easily adapted to local audience
• Provide a network of support
• Discover a yearning for learning
• Legitimize learners role
• Build skills, confidence, purpose and control
• Interesting and rewarding
• A clear purpose of farm management tools and
  skills

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Curriculum Cont.

• Production Risk
• Crop and Livestock Insurance
• Enterprise Diversification
• Natural Disasters
• Grain Storage Loss

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Curriculum cont.

• Market Risk
• General Marketing
• Commodity Programs
• Market Analysis and Pricing
• Marketing Plans
• Marketing Tools
• Production Contracts
• Value Added Ventures

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Curriculum cont.

• Financial Risk
• Strategic Planning
• FSA Documentation and Programs
• Financing
• Business Plans
• Financial Management
• Policy and Trade
• Global Impacts

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Curriculum cont.

• Legal Risk
• General Legal Risk
• Environmental Liability
• Contract Arrangements
• Business Structure
• Tax Liabilities and Law

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Curriculum cont.

• Human Resources Risk
• Personnel Management
• Health
• Family Issues
• Life, Health, and Long Term Care Insurance
• Safety

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Class Structure

• Six - 3 Hour Seminar Classes
• 10 25 Participants
• Classroom and Computer Lab
• Community College, High School, Library
• Participant and Instructor Team-Taught
• Flexible Course Structure
• Networking and Mentor Development

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Class Outline

• Session One
• Human Resources and Time Management
• Course Introduction
• Risk Assessment Survey
• Colors
• What is Management?

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Class Outline cont.

• Session Two
• Women and Money
• Business Plans
• Mission Statements and Goals
• History and Tradition of Your Farm
• How Property is Titled Who Else is in business
  with you?
• Cash and Crop Share Leases

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Class Outline cont.

• Session Three
• Financial Documentation
• Balance Sheet
• Income Statement
• Cash Flow
• Retirement Estate Planning
• Using Spreadsheets

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Class Outline cont.

• Session Four
• Risk Management
• Developing Marketing Plans
• Developing a Risk Management Strategy
• Ten Habits of Profitable Farmers
• Types of Insurance - Life Insurance, Crop
  Insurance, Health Disability

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Class Outline cont.

• Session Five
• Fast Tools
• Financial Records and How to Interpret
  Information
• Discussion on topics for the next meeting

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Class Outline cont.

• Session Six
• Your topics
• End of class evaluation

• Follow up evaluation
• Newsletters
• Web-site
• Continuing activities

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Expected Outcomes

• Increased knowledge, skills and abilities
• Risk management
• Computers and the internet
• Spreadsheets and databases
• Financial software
• Marketing and crop insurance
• Human resource skills of communication,
  negotiation and interpersonal skills

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End of Class Impacts

• Participants increased knowledge, skills and
  abilities
• Importance of goal setting
• Increased interpersonal skills
• Increased organizational and time management
  skills
• Increased skills working with professionals to
  meet individual and farm business skills

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Documented Long Term Impacts

• Behavior changes in management techniques
• Increased confidence in decision making skills
• Implementation of whole farm risk management
  plans
• Become better farm managers and business partners

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What they Say

• Annies Project has opened my eyes to the
  complexity of farming, helping me to understand
  the importance of strategic and purposeful
  planning. The respect I have for all farmers as
  true businessmen has grown significantly. Julie
  Birky, Parnell

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What they Say

• I have completely enjoyed Annies Project. It
  made me realize that I am on task with some
  aspects of my record keeping and that I need to
  improve in others. These meetings have sparked a
  drive in me to challenge myself to do better.
  Jane Janecek, Washington

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What they Say

• This project has opened up communication and
  information shared between my husband and myself.
  I work full time in town and I have learned so
  much from this project that will help me help my
  husband with our farm business. Luetta Greene,
  rawfordsville

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What they Say

• This class has allowed me to meet other farm
  wives who have the same interests and goals that
  I do. We have formed a network of farm wives
  who can help to support each other. I have also
  been exposed to many new topics and feel like I
  have been able to carry on an intelligent
  conversation with my husband, and understand his
  worries and concerns. Mary Miller, Winfield

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What they Say

• Im very glad I came. Because Ive only been
  into the farming situation for three to four
  years and am a city girl to start with, I had no
  idea of the depth of the farming process as a
  business. This class has really started me
  thinking about how little I truly know it has
  also wetted the desire to learn more Dianne
  Hayes, Lone Tree

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What they say

• I was surprised by -
• The number of farm women interested in this class
  and the wide age range
• How much information we were taught
• I never knew that -
• I am like a lot of other farm women who take
  pride in their family farm
• There were other farm women truly trying to
  understand

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What they say

• I enjoyed trying to
• Figuring out what my personality traits are
• Help my spouse market our grain
• I changed my mind about -
• There is a real need for a marketing plan
• My role in farming, I learned more ways that I
  can be a very active part of the farm

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What they say

• I wish I had known
• About so much of these topics 25 years ago
• How great this class was going to be I would
  have convinced some other people to join
• I appreciated
• The binder and all the handouts
• That classmates helped each other understand
  different topics

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What they say

• I now understand
• Grain marketing and crop insurance
• Farming records can be kept easier with the use
  of a computer, and now I can help make decisions
  more confidently
• I plan to
• Try and be a better partner
• Get the books more organized

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Demographics

• Iowa Classes 189 Range
• Average Age 42.6 24 to 76
• Average Years Farming 17 0 to 42
• Average Children 2.32 0 to 6
• Average Acres Owned 396 40 to 973
• Average Acres Crop Share 363 163 to 576
• Average Acres Cash Rented 387 157 to 651
• Average Acres Custom Farmed132 0 to 436

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Demographics
Marital Status Marital Status Marital Status Marital Status
Married Single Divorced Widowed
143 33 6 7
Form of Business Form of Business Form of Business Form of Business
Sole Owner Partnership S-corp or Corp LLC or Other
163 17 7 2
Gross Farm Sales Gross Farm Sales Gross Farm Sales Gross Farm Sales
Less than 50,000 50,001 to 150,000 150,001 to 300,000 Over 300,000
8 57 72 19
189 Iowa Participants
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Program Funding
Participant Fees 15
Partnership Contributions 50
Grant Funds 35
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Our Extension Partners
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From Here

• USDA-RMA/Annies Project Advisory Council
• Seeking partnerships (public and private) to
  sustain and expand the program
• AMES On-line Resources
• Women Marketing Grain (coming winter 05)
• Financial Management
• Resources
• http//www.extension.iastate.edu/annie

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Benefits

• Provides an opportunity to be involved in
  educational opportunities for farm women
• Is an essential piece in the overall educational
  opportunities for farm women
• Provides farm women with the skills, confidence
  and ability to assume leadership roles in
  agriculture
• Sustains the viability of agriculture

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THANK YOU
QUESTIONS
Bob Wells Field Specialist Agriculture
Economics Iowa State University
Extension 641.673.5841 wellsjb_at_iastate.edu