As small, family farms continue to disappear, and large, mechanized farms dominate American agriculture, a new kind of farmer is sprouting up across the land: women. Although women have always been involved in farming, it has long been thought of as a “man’s job.” Traditionally, farm women have often identified themselves as something other than the “farmer.” That’s all changing. According to the USDA, between 2002 and 2007, the number of women who identified themselves as farmers increased by 19 percent, and the number of women “principal operators” increased by 30 percent. Today, there are about one million women farmers in the U.S. - 30 percent of the total. Women are a fast-growing demographic in American agriculture, and they are doing things differently. While the average farm size in the U.S. has grown dramatically over the last 50 years, women tend to run smaller operations. Many choose organic and natural methods, in contrast to the highly mechanized and chemically-dependent farming that dominates the rest of the agricultural industry. And many women strongly value their relationships with the community, from selling their products at local markets, to using their farms as “de facto community centers.” Ladies of the Land profiles four women who once never thought they’d be in charge of a farm, but today raise cattle, sell goat cheese and harvest organic vegetables. With commentary from Carolyn Sachs, PhD, one of the nation’s leading experts on women in agriculture, and Amy Trauger, PhD, founder of the Pennsylvania Women’s Agricultural Network, Ladies of the Land takes us on a journey through America’s new heartland.