The 2017 Census of Agriculture showed a sharp increase in the number of female farmers and ranchers, up 27 percent from 2012.
USDA says some of that increase can be attributed to a change in the census questionnaire, which allowed farms to report multiple primary producers, many of which were women.
Iowa ag secretary Mike Naig says it was a positive change.
“I think it’s a more accurate measurement of how our operations actually work and who the decision-makers are.
