Annie’s Project Ten Year Anniversary Timeline & Milestones
The mission of Annie’s Project is to empower farm women to be better business partners
through networks and by managing and organizing critical information.
Introduction
Annie’s Project grew out of the life experiences of program founder Ruth Hambleton. She
was influenced by her mother, Annette Kohlhagen Fleck, who made important decisions to
maintain the family farm business. During her 30 years as a farm management and
marketing educator with the University of Illinois Extension, Ruth saw the desire of farm
women for educational programs designed specifically for them. Ruth created Annie’s
Project to fill a need for agricultural risk management education for farm women and
dedicated the program to her mother.
As the Annie’s Project program spread across the country from one educator to another,
program integrity was maintained through key principles and core values.
Key Principles:
1. Teach all five areas of agricultural risk: financial, human resources, legal, marketing, &
production.
2. Invite local women professionals to serve as guest instructors where possible.
3. Allocate half of class time to discussion and hands-on activities.
4. Provide un-biased, researched based information.
5. Create a learning environment where mentoring is spontaneous.
Core Values:
 Safe Harbor - all questions or situations are welcomed for sharing and open
discussion.
 Connection - to each other and to professionals introduced to them in class.
 Discovery - the moment when something makes sense where before it did not.
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Guided Intelligence - at any one time there is a woman in the audience who knows
more about the subject being presented than the instructor and is willing to share
her experience.
Annie’s Project has grown from one course reaching 10 women in Illinois in 2003; to more
than 581 courses reaching more than 9,709 women in 33 states by 2013, cumulatively. During
these ten years, women continued to take on stronger management roles in traditional farm
and ranch businesses as well as stepped up to new opportunities in local, niche, or eco
agricultural businesses. Encouraged by the positive impacts on participants and their farm or
ranch families, Annie’s Project leaders and educators worked together to improve and
expand the program. This time line recognizes some of the milestones accomplished as the
Annie’s Project leaders and educators sought to meet the unique educational preferences of
women by sharing curricula and methodology, reaching across boundaries, and developing
strong partnerships.
2002 – Prelude: Women in Ag
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A legacy of partnering is established when Ruth Hambleton, University of Illinois Extension Farm Business Management & Marketing, partners with Illinois Agri-Women, community
colleges, and local women professionals, plus RME and RMA.
RME provides Ruth Hambleton with a challenge grant for Women in Ag program
development ($2,000.) She creates the Annie’s Project mission statement, “To empower
farm women to better business partners through networks and by managing critical
information.”
RMA Community Outreach funds Ruth Hambleton’s proposal for her newly created women
in ag program ($40,000.) “Annie’s Project is born,” states Ruth.
2003 – The First Annie’s Project Course
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February - Ruth Hambleton teaches the first Annie’s Project course with 10 women in
Centralia, IL.
March – Ruth Hambleton shares experience with her first Annie’s Project courses at RME
conference in Dallas, TX. Joy Kirkpatrick, Bob Wells and Deb Rood are among those listening.
November - Joy Kirkpatrick immediately implements some of the Annie’s Project
Methodology into her Heart of the Farm workshops series.
RMA provides Ruth Hambleton with subcontract from Deb Rood and Beth Eberspacher’s
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Women in Ag grant in Nebraska ($38,000.)
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In Illinois, 86 farm women participated in 7 Annie’s Project courses in the first year.
2004 – Across State Lines
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February – Bob Wells teaches the first Iowa Annie’s Project course in Washington, IA.
March – Bob Wells and Ruth Hambleton organize a meeting to tell peers more about Annie’s
Project. Tim Eggers from IA; and Mary Sobba, Karisha Devlin and Kelly Dyer from MO meet
with them in Quincy, IL.
August – Supported by the IA/MO RME grant, 30 educators from 5 states (IA, IL, MO, NE, and
WI) attend the first training on Annie’s Project in Ankeny, IA.
RME provides Bob Wells and Joy Kirkpatrick with their first RME grants for Annie’s Project in
IA/MO and WI ($60,409.)
2005 – Team Leadership
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Tony Jessina, branch manager in Ottumwa, IA Farm Credit Services of America, became the
first person from the Farm Credit System to support Annie’s Project.
Mary Sobba and Karisha Devlin teach the first Annie’s Project courses in MO. With 4 states
now offering Annie’s Project programs, a legacy of program sharing is established.
Ruth Hambleton travels to train KY and IN; there is a growing network of Annie’s Project
educators and they are asking for help.
One year after their first meeting, the Quincy group becomes the Annie’s Project National
Leadership Team with one substitution; Kelly Dyer moves away from Extension and Kelvin
Leibold from IA joins the team. Ruth states, “The heart and soul of Annie’s Project lies with
this group.”
The first Level II Annie’s Project courses are taught in Iowa on grain marketing and finance.
June – Ruth Hambleton and her Illinois Annie’s Project guest instructors grow interest in the
program when they presented at the NC-RME Project Directors meeting in Des Moines, IA.
ISU hosts two Annie’s Project websites, one for the public and one for educators.
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September – the first Annie’s Project video is produced; it highlights the story of “Annie” and
features both educators and participants.
RMA Small Sessions grant supports Annie’s Project in MO and IA ($20,000.)
RME provides Nebraska and Ohio with their first RME funding for Annie’s Project; in total,
RME funds 5 states for Annie’s Project programs ($74,045.)
2006 – Spreading the Word
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Recognizing the need to allow adaptability, while maintaining program integrity, Ruth
Hambleton laid out her vision to preserve the effectiveness of Annie’s Project for farm and
ranch women.
North Dakota is the first to adapt Annie’s Project to a combination of face-to-face and
distance education techniques.
Annie’s Educators met for an informal national gathering after the RME conference in St.
Louis, MO.
August - The National Leadership Team partnered to host the first display at the Farm
Progress Show. The second Annie’s Project Video is filmed there in Amana, IA.
Tim Eggers and Bob Wells hosted Janie Hipp and Jane Schuchardt, National Program Leaders
with USDA-CSREES in Atlantic, IA where they visited Annie’s Project participants.
October - The first national awards came to the Annie’s Project team with the recognition of
the Dean Don Felker Financial Management Award National Winner from the National
Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences.
RMA Small Sessions grants again support Annie’s Project in MO and IA ($20,000.)
RME provides Indiana and North Dakota/South Dakota with their first RME funding for
Annie’s Project. In total, RME funds 6 states for Annie’s Project programs ($76,142.)
Since 2003 nationally, approximately 1,851 farm and ranch women participated in 108 Annie’s
Project courses in 9 states.
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2007 - Supporting One Another
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The National Leadership Team created and shared an Annie’s Project curricula CD.
April - Tim Eggers started training educators in other states and assisting them in
implementing Annie’s Project programs.
August – The National Leadership Team put on one-hour seminars for farm women at the
Farm Progress Show in IL.
As the network of educators expands, Annie’s Project “falls off the corner of Bob’s desk,” in
Mahaska County. The National Leadership Team seeks new resources to help manage data
and support educators.
RMA Small Sessions grant supports Annie’s Project in MO ($10,000.)
RME supports Annie’s Project in 7 new States: AR, KY, MN, MS, MT, OK, and PA. In total, RME
funds 10 states for Annie’s Project programs ($260,228.)
Nationally, approximately 1,342 farm and ranch women participated in 62 Annie’s Project
courses in 14 states.
2008 – Partnership Development
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January – ISU Extension increases support for Annie’s Project by asking Madeline Schultz to
help out the Iowa Annie’s Project team part-time. She helped bring grant funds and
organization to the program.
March – Annie’s Project National Leadership Team hosts a meeting and training following the
RME Conference in Oklahoma City, OK. During the women’s focused conference, there was a
full tract on Annie’s Project. RME presented Ruth Hambleton with an award recognizing her
long U of IL Extension career, her work with women and her contributions to the 1997 RMA
publication, Introduction to Risk Management. The Annie’s National Leadership team also
recognized Ruth with an award and slide show highlighting experiences that led her to
create Annie’s Project.
May - Ruth Hambleton, Bob Wells, and Tim Eggers participated in a shared faculty/extension
exchange at CSREES in Washington, D.C. to study the intersection of farm and family finance
with Janie Hipp and Jane Schuchardt. The team met Gary Matteson with Farm Credit Council
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which broadened opportunities for partnerships. Annie’s Project began to take on requests
from others and reached out to serve minority women.
The team became part of a 2-yr FINRA grant and began work on the online planning tool,
Investing for Farm Families. Jason Johnson from Texas joins the team for this work.
RME teasingly awards Bob Wells a “Ladies Man” certificate for directing multiple projects
targeting women, during the RME Project Directors meeting in Wisconsin ($45,000.)
December - Ruth’s daughter, Lynn Hambleton-Heins, began her career with the University of
Missouri Extension and became part of the Annie’s Project delivery team in the state.
December - ISU Extension increased support for Annie’s Project by hiring Lani McKinney parttime as the Annie’s Project Administrative Assistant. She helped the National Leadership
Team establish a national office and central point of contact.
RMA Community Outreach funds Iowa’s request for state and national Annie’s Project
educator support ($52,000) and RMA Small Sessions funds Annie’s Project in MO ($10,000.)
RME provides Tennessee with funding for their first Annie’s Project courses. In total, RME
funds 6 states for Annie’s Project programs ($191,224.)
Nationally, approximately 1,642 farm and ranch women participated in approximately 95
Annie’s Project courses in 18 states in 2008.
2009 – Network of Educators
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January - Ruth Hambleton retires from a 30-yr career with University of Illinois Extension.
Recognizing the importance of the Annie’s Project educators, and desiring a meaningful
acronym to write into all those grant applications, the National Leadership Team renames
the network and national office at ISU as the “Annie’s National Network Initiative for
Educational Success (ANNIES).”
August – ISU Extension presents ISU Annie’s Project with a Team Achievement Award.
August – The first Annie’s Project e-newsletter for educators is distributed and monthly
educator calls are held.
November – The National Leadership Team hosts a national meeting to involve Annie’s
Project educators in the Investing for Farm Families curricula development in Kansas City,
MO.
Farm Credit Council, with Gary Matteson’s help, supports Annie’s Project nationally for
portfolios; setting this up to encourage match dollars from local Farm Credit Associations
($20,000.)
RMA Community Outreach funds Iowa’s request for state and national Annie’s Project
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educator support ($75,000.) Also, RMA Small Sessions funds MO, and IA ($20,000.)
RME supports Annie’s Project in 5 new states; DE, FL, MI, MD, and NM. In total, RME funds 15
states for Annie’s Project programs ($392,515.)
Nationally, approximately 944 farm and ranch women participated in 71 Annie’s Project
courses in 15 states in 2009.
2010 – Strategic Planning
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Ruth Hambleton establishes the Illinois based Annie’s Project Education for Farm Women
Not-For-Profit. Board members include Lynn Hambleton – Heins, Karen Westbrook, a past
Annie’s Project participant, Bob Wells, Tim Eggers, Mary Sobba and Karisha Devlin.
ISU continued to enter evaluation information from many states into a central database and
sought resources for un-biased, expert-led program evaluation. There was an evaluation
awakening.
March - The Annie’s Project National Leadership Team developed the first major strategic
plan. They expanded to include Jason Johnson and Karen Westbrook.
March – the RME women’s focused conference draws 12 presentations/posters on Annie’s
Project in Baltimore, MD.
May - Arkansas is the first to adapt Annie’s Project to a retreat style program.
June - The first course for Navajo women is held in Shiprock, NM.
December - Annie’s Project speaks for the first time at the Professional Ag Workers
Conference at Tuskegee, AL
Lani McKinney begins the Annie’s Project Facebook site.
November - A memorandum of Understanding between Iowa State University and the
Illinois-based Annie’s Project Education for Farm Women Not-For-Profit is signed.
December - Lynn Hambleton Heins publishes Annie’s Project in the Journal of Extension: The
Effectiveness of Women's Agricultural Education Programs: A Survey from Annie's Project,
with Dr. Jeff Beaulieu and Dr. Ira Altman.
RMA Small Sessions grants funds Annie’s Project in AR, IL, and MO ($39,993.)
RME funds Annie’s Project in the new states of KS, NJ, TX, and ID. In total, RME supports
Annie’s Project in 8 states ($231,598.)
Nationally, approximately 890 farm and ranch women participated in 66 Annie’s Project
courses in 15 states.
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2011 – Champion of Change
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March - Michigan held the first two courses for Hispanic women in the southern counties.
March – ANNIES held an RME post-conference national meeting recognizing educators for
their contributions and providing program reports in St. Louis, MO.
July – Ruth Hambleton is named a “Rural Champion of Change.” She joined 17 other
Champions of Change, President Obama, and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack for a
round table summit at the White House. Ruth was proud when a fellow champion provided a
testimonial for the program. "When others speak on behalf of Annie's Project, it lends
credibility beyond what I could bring to the table," said Ruth.
September – The team takes evaluation to a new level when they fund Dr. Mandi Anderson
with the Research Center for Studies in Education.
The Farm Credit Council supports the program nationally with two gifts for portfolios and
communications ($50,000.)
RMA funds an Iowa specific grant to partially support a new state coordinator, expand
quality and quantity of courses, and document methodology ($100,000.) RMA also funds WY,
NJ, NE, MO, CA ($257,197.)
RME funds Annie’s Project in New York for the first time. In total, RME funds 3 states for
Annie’s Project programs ($65,714.)
NIFA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program provides a 3-yr grant to ISU
Annie’s Project and partners to develop and deliver farm transition courses ($675,000.)
Nationally, approximately 969 farm and ranch women participated in 57 Annie’s Project
courses in 16 states.
2012 - Peer Recognition
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January - Farm transition team distributed new curricula and workbooks for “Managing for
Today and Tomorrow.” There were 7 pilot courses completed.
March - ANNIES hosted a national RME post-conference meeting in Memphis, TN.
New evaluation instruments and procedures are rolled out. They are designed to measure
the RME and RMA expected outcomes and provide information for program improvement.
The Annie’s Project Education for Farm Women Not-for-Profit establishes a Trademark on the
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logo.
NC SARE and SO SARE fund IA and MS respectively for multi-year grants for Annie’s Project
Professional Development Programs ($75,000 + $79,100.)
The first two SARE Professional Development Programs are held in Grand Island, NE and
Biloxi, MS, with 46 Annie’s Project educators from 13 states attending one of the events.
August – On behalf of the original National Leadership Team, Tim Eggers accepts an
American Applied Economics Association group award for Distinguished Extension/Outreach
programs.
November – The Annie’s Project National Leadership Team holds a strategic planning retreat
and begins an 18-month “transformation” for program and organizational improvement.
Farm Credit Services of America supports Annie’s Project in its entire service region with a
four-state gift of $60,000 for course delivery.
The Farm Credit Council supports the program nationally with a gift for Tenth Anniversary
celebrations, professional development and communications ($50,000.)
RMA supports Annie’s Project in Iowa and New Jersey ($192,916.)
RME funds the new Annie’s Project state of West Virginia (36,675.)
Nationally, approximately 1,000 farm and ranch women participated in 59 Annie’s Project
courses in 21 states.
2013 – Growing Into the Future
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January - Ruth Brock, Alabama Cooperative Extension, delivers the first Annie’s Project
course in the 33rd state to offer Annie’s Project - Ashville, AL.
April – ANNIES hosts an RME post-conference meeting to celebrate ten years of Annie’s
Project and the contributions of the network of educators and key partners.
Nationally, approximately 1,071 farm and ranch women participated in 63 Annie’s Project
courses in 17 states, January -March.
Since 2003, nationally, approximately (on the conservative side) 9,709 farm and ranch
women participated in 581 Annie’s Project courses in 33 states.
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