University of Idaho Extension will hold three public events in Sandpoint and Moscow during November to recognize women’s contributions to agriculture as part of the United Nations’ 2026 International Year of the Woman Farmer.
The first event is scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Panida Theater in Sandpoint. It will include a free showing of Women’s Work: The Untold Story of America’s Female Farmers, followed by a discussion with five women farmers from the Sandpoint area.
The fifth annual Selkirk-Pend Oreille Food Summit will follow from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 6 at the University of Idaho’s Sandpoint Organic Agriculture Center. The $35 summit will include presentations by women farmers and agricultural professionals, along with a locally sourced lunch. Registration closes Nov. 1.
A second free screening of the documentary is set for 7 to 9 p.m. Nov. 20 at Moscow’s Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre. Jenny Parker, Sheila Hasselstrom, Suzanne Johnson Dittmer and Sheryl Zakarison are scheduled for the panel discussion after the film.
Colette DePhelps, who helped organize the events, said, “It’s important for us not to make assumptions that women have a smaller contribution to the overall industry.”
Women made up 39% of Idaho farmers in the 2022 Census of Agriculture, while 68% of the state’s farms listed at least one woman as an operator.