b'Women make up 36% of the countrys farmersand their contributions in the agricultural sector are anything but small.PHOTOS BY PHILLIP DAVISWORLD ARK: Whats thein trouble with my professorsIn college, theres lots ofTOP RIGHT Donna origin story? How didfor ditching classes to do thingsacademic awards. But the bigDonna Kilpatrick serves as the you end up in agriculture?like plow or disc [a farmingaward at Warren Wilson, in myranch manager practice of churning up soil] book and lots of peoples eyes,and land steward of Heifer Ranch DONNA KILPATRICK: I grewlots of tractor work that I dontwas the Senior Work Award.in Perryville, up right outside of Asheville,believe in anymore because ofEvery year, the senior who theArkansas.North Carolina, with not muchregenerative agriculture, but incollege felt had done the mostBOTTOM LEFT involvement in agriculturethe early 90s, I was all over it. outstanding job in the workThe entrance to at all. That changed when II would stay over the fallprogram got this award. It wasHeifer Ranch, where Donna and went to Warren Wilson College.and spring and summera really big deal. And I won it. her team practice Its a four-year liberal artsbreaks and drive hugeThat award really meant aregenerative college based on a triad ofequipment, which waslot to me because I loved theagriculture to sustainably rear academics, work and service,somewhat unusual becausecollege farm so much. And itlivestock and and all students regardlessthere werent other womenremains one of the strongestgrow vegetables.of financial need workon the college farm getting toregenerative agriculture somewhere on the campus.run equipment. And for somecolleges in the country. ItsI got placed on the workreason I just excelled at that. really on the cutting edge of program on the farm and Ithings like environmental absolutely fell head over heelsDo you have a favoritestewardship and ecosystem in love with it. I was constantlymemory from that time? health and water system HEIFER.ORG |17'