UNITED STATES - Key data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture reveals that women are becoming a growing force in the agricultural community. Between 1970 and 2012, for example, the number of female-run farms in the United States has tripled to nearly 14%.

According to NPR, this statistic likely understates the importance women play on America's farms. Womens' labor is often not included in the official USDA numbers because of the way in which farm businesses are structured. One third of farms are operated by married couples, but men show up in demographic data more often because these farms are often in their name.

"Women have always worked in agriculture, historically. I think a key issue is whether or not it's counted," explained Julie Zimmerman, a Rural Sociologist at the University of Kentucky. "If you see working on your farm as being part of your role as the spouse or the wife, as helping out, then you might not even recognize it as being 'working on the farm,' even if you're doing it all the time."

Women like Mary Kraft, the Owner, CFO and driving force behind Badger Creek Dairy outside Fort Morgan, Colorado, are changing this perception in the industry, however.

"In the past you had to be this big, burly guy with forearms the size of a post in order to turn a tractor, because they didn't have power steering," she shared with NPR. "It used to be you didn't inherit if you were a girl from a farm family. And I think [now] people are going, 'I want somebody who's going to carry on the farm. So if it's the young lady ... awesome.'"

These numbers also do not count the increasing number of women working in a professional capacity behind the scenes for some of the biggest brands in produce. Women fill key roles on executive boards as well as on marketing, sales and retail staffs, many of whom AndNowUKnow works with on a daily basis.

It will be fascinating to see how these demographic numbers continue to grow and evolve over time. After all, who knows where the industry will be another 40 years from now.