Nearly one third of the farms in New Hampshire are owned and operated by women, which is well above the national average. Farmers and agricultural officials believe that could help agriculture continue to grow in the Granite State.
These were some of the insights from a roundtable discussion at Dimond Hill farm in Concord, attended by Congresswoman Ann Kuster, and US Deputy Secretary for Agriculture, Krysta Harden.
Beth Hodge, a dairy farmer from Hinsdale, says she for one has been seeing more women in agriculture. She thinks that’s linked to the fact that many New Hampshire farmers sell directly to their customers.
“So I think what we find is that consumers are driving it, and in many cases those are women. So maybe they gravitate toward women owned businesses,” says Hodge.
Secretary Harden told the audience consumers tend to trust women. “Women have the credibility, frankly, in agriculture,” she explained.
The number of farms in New Hampshire has grown 5% since 2007.
