Title of Success Story

I Want to Be Able to Do That

Public Value (now or future)
(Impact:  Who benefits beyond participants and how?  What conditions changed?)

Women farmers and ranchers being educated on how to manage the risk of their operation not only increases profit for the participant and their families, but through greater efficiency (gained by more educated decision making) it increases and contributes to the productivity and profitability of agriculture as a whole.

RELEVANCE
(Why is it important to address this issue with education?  What are the desired changes?)

Annie’s Project serves as a connector for women farmers and ranchers.  It teaches and links them to the resources available both locally and nationally to help them manage the risk of their operations.  It also helps them network with professionals and other farmers/ranchers in their community.  Greater awareness of the ways in which they can manage their risk and the resources available to do so equals an elevated level of quality in agriculture both locally and nationally.

RESPONSE
(Outputs: activities, numbers reached, publications, products)

Since Annie’s Project was first delivered by Bob Wells in Ainsworth, Iowa in 2004, Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach has delivered more than 50 Annie’s Project courses and helped expand the program created in Illinois by Annie’s Project founder, Ruth Hambleton, to Iowa and 26 more states. In early 2012, Iowa is currently teaching nine Annie’s Project Level I classes in Atlantic, Donnellson, Calmar, Emmetsburg, Grinnell, Mason City, Ralston, Sioux Center, and West Des Moines with all classes reaching or nearly reaching capacity at 25 participants per class.  An Annie’s Project Level II class focusing on succession planning, Managing for Today and Tomorrow, is also being piloted this month with three classes being taught in Ames, Carroll and Shenandoah.

RESULTS (Outcomes:  specific changes that occurred in Learning, Actions, Conditions; how outcomes were measured)

Participants regularly verbally report a greater knowledge in all five areas of risk management taught in Annie’s Project classes: finance, human resources, legal, marketing and production.  Outcomes are also measured through evaluation instruments developed in partnership with Dr. Mandi Anderson where women participants fill out evaluations where they are asked to rank their knowledge at the beginning of class and then again at the end of class.

Desired Changes
Learning
Actions
Conditions

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

Extension Lead(s)
(name, position, counties served, contact information)

Tim Eggers, Field Agricultural Economist – Adair, Adams, Cass, Clark, Decatur, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, Ringgold, Taylor, and Union Counties
311 E. Washington
Clarinda, IA 51632
Voice: 712-542-5171
Fax: 712-542-5936
E-mail: teggers@iastate.edu
Marsha Laux, Program Coordinator – Serves all Iowa counties as the Annie’s Project State Coordinator for Iowa.

1111 NSRIC
Ames, IA  50011-3310
Phone: 515-294-5281
Fax: 515- 294-9496
E-mail: mlaux@iastate.edu

Lani McKinney, Program Assistant – Serves all Iowa counties and other sites nationally as Annie’s Project contact person.

1111 NSRIC
Ames, IA  50011-3310
Phone: 515-294-9483
Fax: 515- 294-9496
E-mail: lanim@iastate.edu

Madeline Schultz, Program Manager – Story County

1111 NSRIC
Ames, IA  50011-3310
Phone: 515-294-0588
Fax: 515-294-9496
E-mail: schultz@iastate.edu

Bob Wells, Agricultural Economics and Farm Management – Appanoose, Davis, Des Moines, Henry, Jefferson, Lee, Louisa, Lucas, Monroe, Van Buren, Wappello, and Wayne Counties
212 N. I Street
Oskaloosa, IA 52577
Voice: 641-673-5841
Fax: 641-673-0559
E-mail: wellsjb@iastate.edu

Your Position

­­­­­_____Field                                        __x__Campus                         _____Both

POW # and Team

_­____100 Corn and Soybean Production and Protection
­­­­­_____ 110 Dairy
­­­­­__x__ 120 Farm and Business Management
­­­­­_____ 130 Horticulture: Commercial and Consumer
­­­­­_____ 140 Iowa Beef Center
­­­­­_____ 150 Iowa Pork Industry Center
­­­­­_____ 160 Natural Resources and Stewardship

ANR Priority (select all that apply)

­­­­­__x__Global Food Security and Hunger
­­­­­_____Regional Food Systems
­­­­­_____Natural Resources & Environmental Stewardship
­­­­­_____Food Safety
­­­­­_____Sustainable Energy – Biofuels & Biobased Products
­­­­­_____Climate Change
­­­­­__x__Other

Knowledge Areas: (USDA categories)

VI. ECONOMICS, MARKETS, AND POLICY (KA 601-611)

Continuing Story

____ No                __x__  Yes (If continuing, what story?)  Possibly a follow up story if Katie Olthoff takes our new Managing for Today and Tomorrow Annie’s Project class.

Major Partners or Collaborators

Dr. Mandi Anderson
Dave Baker
Heidi Carter
Kelvin Leibold
Dr. Margaret Smith

In addition to those listed above, the most recent list of trained Annie’s Project educators in Iowa also includes Jennifer Bentley, Mary Clancy, Aleta Cochran, Jim Jensen, Steve Johnson, Amy Kelly, Joyce Lash, Ronald Lenth, Catherine Lents, Tom Olsen, Melissa O’Rourke, Morgan Schafbuch, Kristen Schulte, Lori Scovel, and Teresa Wiemerslage.

Where story took place
(Region, campus, multi-regional)

Stanhope, Iowa
Annie’s Project Class: Iowa Falls, Iowa in June 2010

Fiscal Year

2011

Multi-state or Integrated (Ext + Research)

Multi-state

Funding Source

USDA (NIFA), USDA (RMA), Farm Credit

Keywords

Annie’s Project, ANNIES, risk management education, farm and ranch women