When somebody says “farmer,” do you automatically think “fella”? Well, think again. Almost one in three U.S. farmers is female — and that number is rising. “My belief is that the 2012 Agricultural Census will show robust growth in the number of women owning farms,” says Kathleen Merrigan, former deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “There aren’t the same type of gender barriers there once were. I’m heartened by it. More women are at the helm.”

Read more about the women taking charge on U.S. farms.