Erica Schlender reveres this ground, homesteaded by her great-great-grandfather, where he put down roots that continue to anchor her. She thinks of the effort that each generation of her family poured into this soil near Moundridge, raising crops and children and tending it not just for the moment but for the future. And she thinks about the house she wants to build here and the children she wants to raise here, while continuing the farm for generations. Schlender is reflective of a trend that emerged in the most recent Census of Agriculture in Kansas: a growing number of young farmers and women in agriculture. There were more than 34,000 female producers in Kansas in 2022, up nearly 2,000 over 2017.
Read more: KLC Journal
