There’s a stereotype in agriculture that men work the fields and women provide support from the home. Many families choose this arrangement, but there is a growing number of people who recognize this as a figment of the past. The latest USDA census data shows a 27% increase in overall female producers between 2012 to 2017. Further, the number of women who are primary producers has increased from 14% in 2012 to 23% in 2017.
Historically, though, the role of women on the farm has been overshadowed and under-told. Women increasingly played primary roles on the farm during times of crisis in American history, but their stories were never given widespread acclaim. For example, many Americans know the iconic image of Rosie the Riveter, who served in America’s factories at the height of the war. Less commonly known, but equally important of a story, is America’s Women’s Land Army, or the “Farmerettes,” who took over the vacuum of jobs left by men on deployment during World War II.
The Women’s Land Army was first created during World War I but was revitalized during WWII by Eleanor Roosevelt after she toured Britain and saw the work women were undertaking to support the war effort. She immediately began to push for the Office of Civilian Defense to utilize women on the farm. However, the USDA rejected the idea of women working on the farm, as they felt women did not have the skills or strength to carry out the work.
“Pitch in and Help" from the U.S. Crop Corps, 1943. Propaganda posters like this one encouraged women to join the “Farmerettes.” Accessed via Washington State University’s Digital Archives.
Successful local programs in Connecticut, Vermont, California and New York began to change people’s minds. In the face of critical labor shortages, Congress passed legislation in 1943 to create the Emergency Farm Labor Program, which opened the door to “women — stenographers, store clerks, teachers, college girls, housewives” to join the war effort at home.
“Mobilizing Help to Save Crops” from the United States Department of Agriculture, 1943. The pamphlet also provided guidance for how local communities would continue to support agricultural production in America. Accessed via USDA archives.
While in theory, training was provided by local and state services and overseen by the United States Crop Corps, many women had to learn on the job. These women would work a variable length of time - anywhere from a few weeks during a vacation to putting careers on hold and working an entire year on the farm.
During the five years that the WLA operated, it employed 1.5 to 3.5 million female workers who helped feed people across the country.
One of the most publicized recognitions of the WLA came from an iconic photo of 17-year-old Shirley Armstrong, which ran on the cover of Life magazine in 1943, to highlight the efforts of the WLA and the Farmerettes. The image is a piece of wartime propaganda, but it helped shed light on a resilient women-led workforce supporting the war effort at home and ensuring food reached the tables of people all around the world.
