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March 26, 2000
Women in agriculture recognized during history luncheonBy GUY PRIEL Journal Staff Writer NEW ULM -- Women in agriculture, like many other women throughout history, are often forgotten, many times suffering through as many problems as their male counterparts with no recognition. That was not the case on Saturday, however, as members of the Brown County Historical Society and the American Association of University Women gathered for the 13th Annual Women's History Luncheon. The theme of this year's event was Women in All Aspects of Agriculture and those receiving recognition, nine in all, have overcome hardships and run successful farms alongside their husbands, while managing to raise their families. Women like Deborah Dove, agriculture lender at State Bank and Trust of New Ulm; Hilda Ida Radloff-Fritsche, the Goose Lady of New Ulm; Selma Retzlaff Havemeier, who helped her husband with dairy farming; Cloe Klinkner, who passed on her farm to another generation; Lucy Potter, who serves with her husband on the Brown County Farm Bureau; Joan Richert, who has been active in the Pork Producers Association; Kathy Schnobrich, who started her first farm from scratch and started again after the March 1998 tornado destroyed everything they had and killed part of their dairy herd; Nora Greenwald Snow, who helped run one of the largest egg producing farms in Brown County in the 1930s and 1940s; and Carol Speckman, who was a partner in the largest waterfowl hatchery in the world in rural Sleepy Eye. All these women were recognized during the banquet. "All these women have done these things without much recognition," New Ulm attorney Daniel Gislason said. "Women play a tremendous role in history, and in agriculture." The guest speaker was Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture Sharon Clark, who grew up on a farm and has been a farming wife for 35 years. She has also served as President of the Minnesota Corn Grower's Association. She works with overseas policy and legal analysis activities within the Department of Agriculture and serves on the Duluth Seaport Authority. "We have heard some inspiring stories here today about farm women, and it is all about family," Clark said. "My job at the department is to help farm women make a transition into the 21st century." Within the next two to three years, agriculture will experience more changes than it has in the past 40 years and risk management and contract farming will become major components of that change. With contract farming, crops will be sold before they are even planted, she said. "I have proposed language in the contracts that will be clear, concise, and that can be understood without an army of attorneys," she said. The main culprit at the heart of the existing agriculture crisis in America is the law of supply and demand. A drop in the demand for American products is the key to economic troubles, she said. "We have to make the most of the situation," she said. "We have to become more skilled at marketing our products. The main way to accomplish this is to work on our transportation, telecommunications and training programs." One focus at the state level is to encourage a greater production of value-added products, such as ethanol, which has become a connection between rural and metro areas with the construction of a plant in St. Paul, she said. "There are many success stories that have been presented here today ," Clark said. "We can't stop now. We need to continue to find a niche for our products.The Department works with all size farms. Farmers need a larger piece of the puzzle." One component of the plan to help farmers is vertical integration, which will help pool resources so farmers can tap into other sources. Farmers also need to change the way they do agriculture in order to be competitive in the global economy, she said. "We need to encourage legislatures to set aside party bickering and develop lasting policies," Clark said. "The state has limited liability. We can't save every farm, but we can do whatever it takes to keep agriculture alive in our state."
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