Annie's Project teaches women farming business basics

Karisha Devlin is giving a group of 10 working and aspiring farmers a lesson on futures markets, hedging crop sales and how to understand commodity market fluctuations.

This isn't your usual 10 farming students.

They're all women.

"They typically have been an underserved group in the past," Devlin said. "There is no other farm program in the state that is doing this, that is just focused on women."

Devlin, an Extension specialist and wife of a farmer, is one of several agribusiness specialists in the state teaching the course called Annie's Project. It

has attracted

widows; young farm wives and single women wanting to start farms. It's Devlin's favorite course to teach.

Annie's Project was created by Illinois Extension educator Ruth Hambleton and named in honor of her mother, Annette Fleck.

Fleck married a farmer in 1947 and helped run the family farm until her death in 1997, according to the Iowa State University Extension Annie's Project Web site. Fleck ran much of the business side of the operation in its early years. Ultimately, under Fleck's guidance, the farm was a success. She died a wealthy woman.

The business-focused program is now being taught in nine Midwest region states.

The first phase of Annie's Project is six weeks of general agricultural education.

Topics include risk management, record keeping software, property ownership, insurance, financial statements, spreadsheets, business plan writing, estate planning, leases, communication issues, personality traits and marketing.

For more information on Annie's Project or to register for classes, call Devlin at (573) 633-2640 or Mary Sobba at (573) 581-3231.