(NYT31) AQUEBOGUE, N.Y. -- May 31, 2005 -- WOMEN-FARMERS-3 -- Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht of Garden of Eve in Aquebogue, N.Y. in May 2005. "Like a baby, a farm needs as much nurturing as it can get," said Kaplan-Walbrecht. Women have changed the face of American farming. Though American farms have steadily declined in jobs and capital for years, the number of farms operated by women has more than doubled since 1978, from just over 100,000 to almost 250,000 today, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. (Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times)