"Voices from the Land: An Oral History Project in Iowa" was an oral history project done in conjunction with the Iowa Women's Archives at the University of Iowa. Individuals involved in agriculture and farming were interviewed. This collection contains oral histories (audio recordings and transcriptions) and background information. The oral histories are primarily of women involved in agriculture and farming, with the exception of Fred Kirschenmann. A portion of those interviewed have done work in sustainable agriculture.

"Voices from the Land: An Oral History Project in Iowa" was an oral history project done in conjunction with the Iowa Women's Archives at the University of Iowa. Individuals involved in agriculture and farming were interviewed, and the majority of those interviewed were women. The focus of the Iowa State University portion of the project was on sustainable agriculture practices. Interviews were done by Tanya Zanish-Belcher, Doris Malkmus, and Jean Eells. The oral histories were conducted as a component of the Rural Women's Project at the University of Iowa and were funded by the State Historical Society, Inc. and the Historical Resource Development Program of the State Historical Society of Iowa. Additional funding for the Iowa State University portion came from a Vision 20/20 grant from the Kellogg Foundation.

This collection (2000-2007, undated) contains oral histories (audio recordings and transcriptions) and background information. The master audio cassettes of each interview are restricted. Reference audio copies are available to researchers.

The oral histories are primarily of women involved in agriculture and farming, with the exception of Fred Kirschenmann. A portion of those interviewed have done work in sustainable agriculture. The oral history interviews are of: Donna Ahrens, Maxine Anderson, Marilyn Anderson, Patti Barker, Nancy Bevin, Wende Elliott, Genevieve Ferrari, Elizabeth Garst, Mary Garst, Shelley Gradwell, LaVon Griffieon, Ruby Erickson Hendrickson, Irene Johnson, Fred Kirschenmann, Luetta Klein, Lucille Mathey, F. Nayda D. Nibe, and Dolores Shaa.

Donna Ahrens grew up on a farm and then owned a family farm of her own. The family farm is located near the farm where she was born and raised.

Maxine M. Anderson farmed with her husband, Grant, near Webster City.

Marilyn Anderson, from Roland, Iowa, is a weaver and activist against hog lots.

Patti Barker grew up on a family farm near Marshalltown, Iowa in the 1960s.

Nancy Bevin grew up on a farm in Webster County, and then farmed with her husband Jerry.

Wende Elliott is a writer, organic farmer near Colo, Iowa, and an activist in organic and fair trade food.

Genevieve Ferrari had a Hamilton County family farm, which was in the family since her grandparents homesteaded it in 1891.

Elizabeth Garst, granddaughter of Elizabeth and Roswell Garst, grew up on the Garst family farm and discusses the family's experiences in Coon Rapids; Roswell's use and promotion of hybrid corn, fertilizer, corn cobs for cattle feed, and other innovations; and Roswell Garst's relationship with Nikita Khrushchev, including Khrushchev's visit to the Garst farm in 1959.

Mary Garst was one of only a few women in the country to manage a cattle-breeding business when she began working for the Garst Company in Coon Rapids in 1974. She was in charge of genetic selections, bull selections, nutritional programs, and cattle sales. She also was state director of the Iowa Beef Improvement Association and president of the Iowa Simmental Cattle Association, in addition to serving on several other Board of Directors.

Shelley Gradwell founded an organic vegetable co-operative that delivers vegetables to shareholders throughout the growing season.

LaVon Griffieon grew up on a farm in Spirit Lake, taught adult education courses, started an "Ag in the Classroom" program to expose children to the farm, and is a co-founder of 1000 Friends of Iowa. 1000 Friends of Iowa is a non-profit organization committed to promoting responsible land use in community, state, and federal development decisions.

Ruby Erickson Hendrickson managed, as a non-participant farmer, the farm she inherited from her Swedish grandparents.

Irene Johnson was born in Stratford, Iowa and lived near Stratford for most of her life. She and her husband Arvid had a farm they called "Wallaces," located south of Stratford. After her husband Arvid passed away, Irene took over management responsibilities for the farm.

Fred Kirschenmann is a national and international leader in sustainable agriculture and former director of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University. He also manages his family's farm, Kirschenmann Family Farms, in south central North Dakota.

Luetta Klein owned a farm with her husband, which includes land from her grandfather. She helped her father farm the land, and then owned land with her husband beginning in 1971. After her husband passed away, she inherited the land. Among other topics, she discusses milking the cows, taking care of the hatchery and chickens, and the possibility of adding wind turbines to the land.

Lucille "Lu" Mathey grew up on a North Dakota farm, taught at a rural school, farmed with Tara Industries with her husband Al, and was left to manage the farm's affairs after her husband Al passed away.

F. Nayda D. Nibe grew up on a farm just south of Story City, Iowa, taught at several small schools, and took over the family farm with her husband.

Dolores H. Schaa grew up on a farm which experienced the transition to electricity, farmed land north of Webster City, managed the farm as a cash rental after her husband passed away, and participated in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). She also discusses her husband's (Seymour) experiences hog farming before they were married.

The Iowa Women's Archive, University of Iowa Libraries holds additional interviews from "Voices from the Land: An Oral History Project in Iowa": http://collguides.lib.uiowa.edu/?IWA0825

The collection is listed alphabetically.