Content
July 22, 2026
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is home to the nation’s longest-running university-led women in agriculture program. Housed within Nebraska Extension and the Center for Agricultural Profitability, the Nebraska Women in Agriculture program has supported farmers, ranchers, landowners and agri-business professionals for more than 40 years through education, networking, and leadership development opportunities.
While the program has a long and successful history, it continues to evolve to meet the changing needs of Nebraska’s agricultural industry. In 2025, Nebraska Women in Agriculture conducted a statewide needs assessment to better understand the skill-development needs of women involved in agricultural operations across the state.
The needs assessment revealed that skill development remains a priority, even among respondents who are highly experienced and actively engaged in farm and ranch management. The findings suggest that as respondents take on greater responsibilities and leadership roles within agricultural operations, they become increasingly aware of opportunities to strengthen their knowledge and skills in new and emerging areas.
Data
The survey was conducted using a mixed-mode design, including both mail and web instruments. The mail sample consisted of a random draw of 3,000 farm and ranch addresses across Nebraska, with at least one operation selected from each county. The web sample was drawn from an existing email list containing 3,242 addresses. The needs assessment gathered responses from 747 women involved in agricultural operations across Nebraska. Participants represented a wide range of ages, farm sizes, and backgrounds. Nearly half had attended a Nebraska Women in Agriculture (WIA) educational event, and more than 80% reported prior agricultural experience. Because the survey was commissioned as a needs assessment rather than a human subjects research study requiring Institutional Review Board oversight, the findings are presented descriptively and interpreted as reflective of the responding sample rather than as causal or population-representative estimates.
Skills Assessment
Skill-related information was collected through three open-ended survey items asking respondents to identify:
- The most important skill they currently possess
- Skills they would like to acquire
- Skills they would like to improve
These questions were administered as open-ended text responses to allow respondents to articulate skills in their own terms rather than selecting from predefined categories. Responses were coded into nine key areas: financial management; marketing; livestock production; crop production; equipment and mechanics; farm management and leadership; records and regulatory compliance; caregiving and family-related skills; and consulting or advisory skills.
For each area, a binary indicator was created equal to one if a respondent expressed a desire to acquire or improve skills in that area. These area indicators were then summed to construct a skill gap count variable representing the total number of areas in which unmet skill needs were reported. The count ranged from zero to nine, with higher values indicating broader reported development needs. Respondents who did not provide any usable information in the skill-related section were coded as missing rather than assigned a value of zero. This ensures that zero values represent respondents who actively reported no unmet skill needs, rather than cases of item nonresponse.
A Poisson regression model was used to examine skill gaps and assess how various explanatory variables influenced them. Explanatory variables included respondents age, highest educational attainment, whether the respondent completed any agriculture-focused education, prior agricultural experience, operation income, involvement in farm operations, participation in Nebraska Women in Agriculture programming, and a likert-scale question capturing self-assessed confidence.
Key Findings
One of the most notable findings was that respondents reported skill gaps in an average of nearly two different areas. While about one-third of respondents said they had no unmet skill-development needs, many identified opportunities to strengthen their knowledge in multiple areas.
Financial management emerged as the most frequently cited area for additional training. More than one-third of respondents reported wanting to improve their financial skills. Other commonly identified areas included marketing, livestock production, farm management, equipment operation, and crop production.
Interestingly, respondents who reported being more involved in farm operations also tended to identify more skill-development needs. Rather than indicating a lack of ability, this reflects greater awareness of the complex decisions required in modern agriculture. Increased involvement appears to help respondents recognize where additional training could improve their effectiveness and confidence in decision-making.
The needs assessment also found that younger respondents reported more skill gaps than older respondents. This implies that years of experience may help reduce some knowledge gaps over time.
Education and farm income were both positively associated with identifying additional training needs, indicating that respondents involved in larger or more complex operations often face a broader range of management challenges.
Another key finding was that specific skill deficits, not a lack of confidence, were the strongest predictor of reported training needs. Respondents were not simply seeking encouragement; they were looking for practical, hands-on education that could help them perform their responsibilities more effectively.
Conclusions
These findings reinforce the importance of Extension programs that focus on applied learning. Workshops covering topics such as bookkeeping, financial analysis, marketing strategies, insurance, risk management, succession planning, and business management may be particularly valuable.
As farms and ranches become more complex, women are increasingly stepping into management, financial, and strategic decision-making roles. Supporting those efforts through educational programming can help strengthen not only individual operators, but also the long-term success and resilience of Nebraska’s agricultural industry.
The needs assessment suggests that future educational efforts should continue emphasizing practical technical skills, financial management, marketing, and leadership development. By aligning training opportunities with the realities of modern farm management.
Acknowledgements:
This needs assessment was made possible through support from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Chancellor’s Office. The Nebraska Women in Agriculture program extends its sincere appreciation to Heather Watson and Farm Management Canada for granting permission to adapt their instrument for use in Nebraska. We also thank the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Methodology and Evaluation Research Core Facility (MERC) and the Bureau of Sociological Research (BOSR) for their expertise and contributions in the design, implementation, and analysis of this statewide assessment.
Sourav Barua
Agricultural Economic Analyst
Department of Agricultural Economics
Jessica Groskopf
Extension Educator and Director of Nebraska Women in Agriculture
Nebraska Extension, Center for Agricultural Profitability
Simanti Banerjee, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Agricultural Economics
Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel, Ph.D.
Professor and Extension Specialist
Department of Agricultural Economics