It was 20 years ago that Ruth Hambleton started the Annie Project, a permanent organization. Many things are different today, but the focus of the project remains the same.

“Ruth was a visionary of her time,” said Doris Mold, co-CEO of a nonprofit dedicated to educating women in agriculture. “I am indebted to her, and many others to her.”

Hambleton started it in 2003 while working as a farm management educator at the University of Illinois Extension. Her inspiration was her late mother, Annette Kohlhagen Fleck, who was struggling to help her husband on her family farm in northern Illinois.

Annie’s Project helps women primarily through classes that touch on farm economics. Topics include bookkeeping, estate planning, farm migration, and financial literacy. But many participants said the program goes beyond numbers.

“If it wasn’t for Annie’s project, I would never have met so many wonderful farm women,” says Judy, one of the 10 women who made up the first class in 2003. Byers said. Year. It’s probably the best one. “

Byers and her husband grow corn, soybeans, wheat, and alfalfa on a farm in Marion County, Illinois. There are also cows. She saw an ad for her first Annie’s Project class and signed up.

“I was recovering from surgery and needed a distraction,” she said. “I knew nothing about computers. I said no. I was overwhelmed at first.”

Soon her fears subsided. She has become part of a group of women who share similar concerns. As a recurring part of the course, Hambleton has helped women broaden their horizons on educational journeys.

“She took us to the Chicago Board of Trade three times,” Byers said. “Going to Chicago was my first experience. There are so many memories from those first few years that brought us all together.”

Sharon Briscoe (another member of the first class) had some computer experience, but learned a lot that helped her streamline the books on her home farm.

“My husband used to keep records in ledger format — 32 columns,” she said. “With Annie’s project, I was able to put it into the computer. By calculating the cost of fertilizers, chemicals and seeds, I knew I had to sell my crops to make what I needed. “

As with Byers, the information was daunting.

“I was a little overwhelmed because there was so much they tried to put in a condensed time frame,” she said. “

Hambleton acknowledges that things are different now, but is confident the program will be as valuable as ever.

“Women are busier today than they were 15 or 20 years ago? It’s a different kind of busy,” she said. I have to choose my priorities.In this case, who will help me take care of my family while I travel by myself.It is very difficult for a woman.

“One of the big things that has changed with this program is what technology has brought to this group and to the public. Facebook was about 19 years old and we are about 20 years old. “