Heitkamp, Klobuchar Bring USDA Deputy Secretary to ND, Reinforce Need to Support Women Leaders in Agriculture

Press Release

U.S. Senator Heitkamp today brought U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden to North Dakota, and -- joined by U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar -- reinforced the need to encourage women to take on leadership roles in the agricultural industry and to work proactively in addressing roadblocks to their success.

Convening a roundtable discussion with women leaders in the agricultural industry, Heitkamp and Klobuchar spoke with USDA Deputy Secretary Harden, as well as female leaders from North Dakota and across the region to talk about ways to improve outreach and address challenges head on to promote more female leadership in the agriculture sector. Recent data shows women make up one-tenth of principal farm operators in North Dakota, compared to 30 percent nationwide. Heitkamp is working to make sure that women, who help generate more than $136 million in annual agricultural sales across North Dakota -- remain a strong force in the nation's agricultural industry.

"Throughout the years, women have been part of the backbone of our agriculture industry -- commanding leading roles at our farms and ranches, laboratories, executive board rooms," said Heitkamp. "But the presence of women in the agricultural sector needs to grow -- and we need to make sure we're doing everything we can to facilitate greater involvement. Today I brought USDA Deputy Secretary Harden to North Dakota to hear from some of the top women leading the next generation of our agricultural industry and talk about ways to make sure young girls growing up today will continue our state's agricultural way of life and expand in this industry. Deputy Secretary Harden and I first met on a trip to Africa last year where we saw that the vast majority of agriculture work there is done by women. Building on that experience, we want to help women in North Dakota and around the world become empowered in this sector to run their own businesses, and that's what today's meeting is about."

"Nearly one million women now work in agriculture in America and 6,300 farms in Minnesota are principally owned by women," said Klobuchar. "Whether it's growing crops or raising livestock, women in agriculture are making important contributions to this vital industry. Having USDA Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden on hand today to share her expertise should help encourage even more women to seek careers in agriculture."

Earlier today, Heitkamp, Harden, and Klobuchar visited the farm of North Dakota agricultural leader, Vanessa Kummer, in Colfax to talk more with her about her leadership, and her agricultural work. Kummer is a board member, treasurer, and past president of the North Dakota Soybean Growers Association and served as the first North Dakotan and the first woman to chair the United Soybean Board in 2012.

Last fall, Heitkamp, Klobuchar and USDA Deputy Secretary Harden traveled to Ethiopia and Senegal as part of an all-women Congressional delegation to see firsthand the agricultural development work our federal programs are funding around the world. During their trip, they saw how the vast majority of the work on farms in Africa was being done by women, but these women were often marginalized. They were involved in the day to day labor, but too often didn't see the financial benefits of that work.

A ranking member on the Senate Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry, Heitkamp has long worked to make sure the federal government is making critical investments in the future of rural and agricultural economic development, and worked to help shape and improve the 2014 Farm Bill with amendments supporting these goals.

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