A woman’s place in agriculture is not just being the farmer’s wife anymore.

Statistics from the Agricultural Student Service Office show that in the fall semester of 1993, there were 780 women enrolled as agricultural majors. That number has increased to 1,202 female students enrolled since then, a difference of 422 students.

“The majority in student increases [since 1988] are women — it’s like 80 percent — and we worked hard on that,” said David Topel, dean of the College of Agriculture. The main concentration of female enrollment is found within the animal science/pre-veterinarian emphasis, but from that point on, it is very diverse, Topel said.

Many factors contribute to the increasing enrollment numbers, mainly the fact that women’s roles in agriculture are changing and growing, said Betty Wells, professor of sociology-agriculture.

“I think there is a definite increase, both in running their own farms and in women’s involvement in agricultural roles,” she said.

For women, technical changes within the industry and the expansion of careers that are not entirely farm-based have opened up many doors and opportunities, Wells said.

“It is a lot easier for women to choose a career in agriculture because of the mentors out there,” agreed Kelsey Stansberry, 1999 president of Sigma Alpha, a national professional sorority that promotes women in agriculture. “Past work done by former women has opened the door.”

Stansberry, senior in agricultural education, said the ISU chapter of Sigma Alpha currently has 54 members.

Other reasons for the increase are due to the farm operations themselves growing.

“Husbands and wives are a business; they are a pair, and that is needed now,” Stansberry said.

Also, many women need to work outside the home when the farm is not large enough to provide the sole income. They typically enter into fields that they are familiar with, and a lot choose agriculture, Stansberry said.

“Professional women come in and talk about what they do in their jobs, what we need to expect and the difficulties they encounter,” she said. Sigma Alpha creates a networking system for its members nationwide, Stansberry said.