On a rainy April day, it took the women sitting around a table at Milwaukee's Urban Ecology Center nearly two hours to introduce themselves. It may sound like a nightmare to some, but in this room it's normal. A shared thread among the women: They all own land. What that land looks like varies widely, from a 40-acre farm to a few acres of woodland to a community garden. But they are all interested in becoming better stewards of what they have. Introductions aren't just about sharing names. Women talk about their goals and dreams about their country and how it feeds them—not the other way around. Although it takes a while, no one in the group shows any signs of boredom, listening intently to each other's situations. Some have inherited land they don't know what to do with, some are interested in hosting visitors for the educational experience, and others are frustrated by problems like erosion and invasive plants. The lengthy introductory process is called – the learning circle – and researchers are evaluating whether women who participate are more likely to try conservation practices on their property when they participate. It is part of a larger project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture called Wisconsin Women in Conservation, which aims to connect women landowners with each other and gain access to conservation programs. Many practices that help farmers better care for their land are offered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service USDA or NRCS. But because farming has historically been portrayed as a male profession, the agency was built for men and has long catered to them, argue those running the project. Any conservation organization that doesn’t reach out to women landowners is “trying to do conservation blindfolded,” said Jean Eells, an Iowa-based researcher and farmer educator involved in the project. “They’re going after it with half the resources.” (Madeline Heim, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)