777 Farms’ Jamie Daniel is the fourth generation of her family to be involved in production agriculture. She and her husband, Chad, have taken her family’s legacy to the next level to encompass 480 acres, more than 300 head of Santa Gertrudis and commercial beef cattle, an annual production sale, and an on-farm reproduction center in cooperation with Trans Ova Genetics.

Jamie has worked tirelessly through the 24/7 cycle of livestock production all while raising three children and building a successful career in agriculture real estate where she has specialized in farm and poultry facility sales across the state of Arkansas for the past 16 years. But the inaugural recipient of the Arkansas Ag Woman of the Year award is no stranger to the “extra layer” of challenges that women in agriculture face.

Her earliest exposure to the “man’s world” perception came as a young girl on the farm when her grandfather would send her to the house while they were artificially inseminating cattle. In adulthood, she has also encountered people who would “rather talk to [her husband] about a bull or whether they can deal with [her] as a female.”

While women have played a role in farming and food production since the earliest civilizations, property ownership laws and the stigma of women in business kept many female farmers out of the spotlight up through much of the 20^th century.

Related:Farmer and educator Susan Brocksmith supports women in ag

Female producers

The 2022 Census of Agriculture estimated that there were 1.2 million female producers in the United States and that number is expected to grow. Women are taking the reins in agribusiness, marketing, policy, financial management, and more - truly making their mark on the agriculture industry.

This growth and empowerment can be largely attributed to expanded educational and leadership offerings for females in the industry. Organizations for agricultural youth such as 4-H and FFA have seen exponential growth in female membership, and more than 50% of state FFA leadership roles are held by young women.

Targeted conferences, workshops, and industry partnerships have provided opportunities for women to grow and flourish with their operations. In addition, learning experiences once reserved for men have become more accepting of female participation.

Some of Jamie Daniel’s most influential experiences were not always a reality for women including her selection to the 2019 Young Cattleman’s Leadership Class and attending AI school at Bovine Elite. (Peyton Fair)

In fact, many of these types of experiences are what have helped to give Jamie the tools for success in her own operation.

She has been actively involved in Farm Bureau, Arkansas Cattleman’s Association, and Santa Gertrudis Breeders International. Some of her most influential experiences were not always a reality for women including her selection to the 2019 Young Cattleman’s Leadership Class and attending AI school at Bovine Elite. In fact, she thought about her grandfather every day during AI school and “wondered if he would be mad at me or not,” she said.

Related:Celebrating women in agriculture

Optimistic future

Jamie is optimistic on what the future looks like for young women, including her own daughters, who aspire to pursue careers in the industry, thanks to educational programming such as Arkansas Women in Ag. This organization offers scholarships, an annual conference, and partnership with Annie’s Project to bring that tailored female-lens to Arkansas agriculture.

On being named Ag Woman of the Year, Jamie recalled that being “noticed or honored in any way because of [farming] is such an honor and one that I will always treasure. So many in the Ag world do this daily for their entire lives and go unnoticed.”

She also encourages “young girls wanting to be involved the Ag industry, I say go for it! Be confident, be brave, don’t be afraid to ask questions if you don’t know. Do not let [people who doubt you] scare you away. Take that as an opportunity to prove them wrong, use it as your motivation.”

The 2024 Arkansas Women in Ag Annual Conference will be held April 1-2, 2024 in Hot Springs, Ark., where Jamie will pass the torch as a new Ag Woman of the Year will be named. For more information check out arwomeninag.org/conference.

Related:Women operators help deepen farm stories

Are you a female in the agriculture industry? Visit these sites for more information about programming in your state and mark your calendar to attend a Women in Ag event in 2024!

Arkansas

Louisiana

Missouri

Mississippi

Tennessee