Women Grow Ohio (WGO) are a group of livestock farmers, growers, homesteaders and urban backyard garden producers who have a desire to connect and unite Ohio women in all forms of agriculture. WGO was founded by three women food producers (two rural and one urban) in 2015. Their goal is to create opportunities for women to network and grow as business professionals and food producers.
The project grew out of a desire for tours spotlighting women farmers. At a winter solstice party, three women — a farmer, homesteader and an urban gardener — set a plan to create this tour. The dream has evolved far beyond their successful statewide farm tours. With a clear mission to promote women farmers and provide networking opportunities, WGO has also added peer-to-peer educational workshops and potluck gatherings to their list.
In 2016, WGO joined forces with Rural Action based on their shared mission of promoting and supporting local farmers and food producers.
To keep up to date on upcoming events make sure to follow the WGO Facebook page and sign up for the monthly WGO newsletter.
For more information on how to get involved, contact Tom Redfern at tomr@ruralaction.org or call 740-677-4047 or Annie Warmke at annie@bluerockstation.com.
Webinar Series for Specialty Dairy Producers
Starting in July 2018, Rural Action’s Women Grow Ohio (WGO) project launched a series of weekly specialty dairy webinars aimed at providing technical assistance – led by peer educators – to women farmers across Ohio working in the specialty dairy sector. These free webinars led by our partners at the Appalachian Center for Economic Networks (ACEnet) make learning more accessible to women farmers by reducing transportation and travel logistics and taking the training to producers. Visit acenetworks.org/category/events for a full list of the Specialty Dairy webinars and registration.