Honoring Illinois Farm Moms: Celebrating Generations of Strength this Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is the perfect time to celebrate incredible Illinois farm moms and acknowledge their amazing contributions through the generations.  We shine a light on the amazing women who support not just families but also nurture Illinois’s fields, farms, and food systems. Women are at the heart of Illinois agriculture, from managing family farms to leading agricultural organizations. Following in the footsteps of our grandmas and great-grandmas, today’s farm wives and moms are leading the next generation of leaders, farmers, advocates, and spokeswomen who work hard every day to create new opportunities that were not available a few centuries ago.

Who is the Illinois Farm Mom

Illinois is the land of a diverse array of women making great strides in agriculture. Whether she runs a multi-generational family farm, advocates for the ag industry, or shapes the ag business landscape, her leading contributions are invaluable in today’s modern ag industry. As the saying goes, “We’ve come a long way, baby.”

2022 Statistics

As of the 2022 Census of Agriculture, accounting for 28% of all farmers in the state. This marks an increase from previous decades and reflects the growing involvement of women in agriculture.

Farm Moms in the 1930s

The 1930 Census of Agriculture does not provide a direct count of female farmers in Illinois. During the 1930s, women’s contributions to farming were significant but often unrecorded in official statistics. Yet, from stories passed down through generations, we know that farm moms in the 1930s were the silent backbone of their families.

During the Great Depression, these women worked tirelessly preserving food, gardening, caring for animals, sewing clothes, and managing homes with limited resources. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, while the men went to war, many women made all the farm decisions without recognition. Their daily efforts were essential to their families’ survival without modern conveniences. Many also work outside to help save the land from foreclosure and unknowingly shape the future of agriculture.

Farm Moms in the 1980s

By the 1980s, women started taking on more visible roles in farming. Economic pressures meant that many women were balancing farm responsibilities with jobs off the farm, providing important financial support to their families. Women on the farms became involved in decision-making, some even joining the newly established organizations designed to empower women.

Farm Moms in the 2000s

As we entered the 2000s, farm moms began stepping into their shoes (or boots) to run the farms as business leaders, innovators, and active members of agricultural policy discussions. They embraced technology, adopted supportable practices, and took on leadership positions, making their mark at home and across the farming community.

Today’s Farm Mom

Now, in 2025, Illinois farm moms are recognized and respected leaders. They’re farmers, entrepreneurs, educators, and advocates influencing agriculture locally and nationally. This leadership is reflected at the highest levels—such as Brooke Rollins, appointed in 2025 as the 33rd U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. Her role represents women’s and mothers’ strength, influence, and importance in shaping American agriculture

My Experience as a Farm Mom

As a mom and a woman in the agricultural industry, I’ve noticed the changes in the industry. I might not have been a “farm girl” my entire life, but I did start out watching my dad and grandpa on our small farm in Hettick, Illinois. As I remember, my mom and grandma were only involved as the people who provided the meals, cared for the children, and kept the house in order. Yet, life has twists and turns; my parents divorced, allowing me to become a “small-town girl” when my mom moved us to Greenfield, Illinois

Fast forward to moving to Jacksonville, Illinois, where I met and married the “farm boy” who stole my heart. Here, I witnessed my mother-in-law helping when needed in the fields. Whether during planting or harvesting, she cooked the meals, took them to the fields, and worked alongside my father-in-law. Was this by choice or necessity? Honestly, I’m not sure.  As I write this article, I wish to ask her this question and a few others. She passed away on Easter Sunday from Alzheimer’s. I know she worked as hard, if not harder, than the men alongside her. She may not have walked the halls of Springfield Capital or The Hill in Washington DC, but she set an example for others. I hope she realized that she was planting the seeds for myself and future generations of powerful women – mothers, wives, daughters, and sisters to cultivate as we navigate the land and the boardrooms for future generations.

This Mother’s Day, we honor Illinois farm moms—past and present—who’ve nurtured their families, farms, and communities through generations of change. Their resilience, adaptability, and enduring spirit deserve our heartfelt appreciation and celebration.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the remarkable farm moms who have helped build Illinois agriculture!