Women’s Work: The Untold Story of America’s Female Farmers is debuting nationwide via American Public Television in partnership with Georgia Public Broadcasting. The film aims to rectify how agricultural narratives have largely overlooked women’s contributions, instead centering on men in the story of U.S. farming. Through interviews, personal stories, and historical perspectives, the documentary highlights women who have farmed, led, and sustained rural livelihoods across the country.
Who’s Behind the Film
The project is produced by The Female Farmer Project®, with Audra Mulkern as executive producer, producer, and host. Her organization works to elevate and document women’s roles in agriculture through storytelling, photography, essays, and film. The film is fiscally sponsored by the Redford Center and produced by KR Creative Strategies and The Female Farmer Project. By examining both past and present, the film seeks to “reclaim that narrative” and spark broader conversations about recognition and equity in farming.
Bringing Women Farmers Into View
Ruby Noland is the farmer at Stoke in Gainesville, FL on Friday, October 3, 2025. Ruby grows the food served on the half acre farm She grows 36 varieties of organically grown vegetables, herbs and flowers.Two families, the Rapiers and the Conleys, jointed to make an outdoor dining experience featuring the renowned chef Clay Conley. The Conley’s will offer one dinner each month but the farm continually produces. Excess food is donated. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]
Although women have always worked the land, their stories have often been marginalized in public memory. The documentary presents voices from women across diverse geographies, farm sizes, and backgrounds, showing how they manage crops, run operations, and contribute to rural economies. The film also draws on expert analysis and data to frame women’s agricultural labor as not just supplemental but essential for food systems, land stewardship, and rural resilience.
Challenges and Barriers Explored
Ruby Noland is the farmer at Stoke in Gainesville, FL on Friday, October 3, 2025. Ruby grows the food served on the half acre farm She grows 36 varieties of organically grown vegetables, herbs and flowers.Two families, the Rapiers and the Conleys, jointed to make an outdoor dining experience featuring the renowned chef Clay Conley. The Conley’s will offer one dinner each month but the farm continually produces. Excess food is donated. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]
Women’s Work does not shy away from the obstacles female farmers face. These include access to land, credit, institutional support, and cultural assumptions about gender roles in farming. The documentary highlights how women frequently balance family responsibilities with strenuous agricultural labor. The film positions these challenges not only as individual struggles but also as systemic issues—reflecting broader inequities in how women’s labor is valued.
A Narrative Shift with Broader Impact
By bringing women farmers’ stories to the forefront, Women’s Work contributes to a larger cultural shift in how work, gender, and history are told. The documentary urges recognition of female farmers not as exceptions but as integral participants in agriculture. As audiences see more women in leadership roles, land management, and innovation, the film opens up space for more inclusive policy, funding, and narrative change in rural America.
Sources: American Ag Network , The Female Farmer Project®, American Public Television, The Redford Center
