Sheep sunbathing in the front yard while cattle graze in a field across the road are familiar sights for farmers Roshel Donwen and her older sisters Jennifer Jones and Jessica Muzzall.

But for most Americans, shelves stocked with canned goods and refrigerated cases of cold cuts and produce are sights far more familiar than the farms their food comes from.

This isn’t surprising considering the American Farm Bureau reports that farm workers and families comprise just 2 percent of the U.S. population, less than a quarter of which are female, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

As a result, the vast majority of the public have, at best, a distant relationship with the channels through which their food is produced.

Donwen, Jones and Muzzall are trying to change that, and they’re challenging what the agriculture industry looks like while doing so. They are the inspiration behind the well-known 3 Sisters Family Farm on Whidbey Island, and they work alongside their parents to run the family-owned business.

“It’s a very small percentage of farms that are women owned or women run,” Jones, 28, said. “That can be in any aspect, whether they’re in the office or out on the farm working.”

For Jones, the statistics are ironic considering a primarily female crew runs both the family’s farm and the storefront, 3 Sisters Market. Inspired by the influential women in their lives, the sisters have been integral to the significant expansion the family business has achieved in recent years.

But as the minority demographic in agriculture, the success hasn’t been without its challenges.

As the production manager, Jones is often spotted behind the wheel of large machinery such as tractors.

In the last decade, the farm has expanded to properties throughout Whidbey. They’ve gone from butchering four animals every two or three months, to butchering on two full days twice a month, according to Jones.

With the help of her father and Donwen, Jones cares for the many hogs, cattle, sheep and laying hens roaming their property. She’s also constantly tending to the 800 acres the family farms for their own feed and hay.

“People will come into the store and will say things like ‘Wow, I saw that one sister out on the tractor and that’s just crazy,’” Muzzall said with a chuckle.

“They just can’t believe she’s out there doing that kind of work, but these are things we’ve done our whole lives.”

In this way, Muzzall, 25, often notices that many people don’t realize how directly involved the sisters are with running the family’s operations.

Several years ago, Muzzall had the idea to open a shop strictly featuring local products. After proposing the expansion to her family, Muzzall found an old fire station off State Highway 20 in San De Fuca where their market has been in business ever since.

“We definitely jumped from not doing a whole lot and selling out of the main farm, to now operating a seven day a week retail store,” Muzzall said.

Now Muzzall manages the market, overseeing half a dozen employees and working alongside her mother Sherry Muzzall and sometimes Donwen, who is finishing a business management degree at Pacific Lutheran University and helps in almost every area of the farm when home.

“I’m always on the hunt for something new and different,” she said.

“We try to really listen to what our customers like, and we always go for the healthy, local options that you can’t always find in other stores.”

Running the store and farm at such young ages, Muzzall and Donwen have found it can be hard for customers to take them seriously. To combat this, Muzzall said it’s important to establish their roles early on and consistently demonstrate a high standard of service

“People might think we’re rich or off vacationing,” Donwen jokes, “but it takes a lot of hard work on our part to keep it all together.”

“It’s not just a name, there’s a lot more that goes into it,” Donwen said.

For the sisters, success is only possible through relentless work and continuously striving to provide the best products.

“And it’s the same no matter if you’re a woman or a man in this industry,” Jones adds.

They’ve been in the business of farming longer than many others and they’re working for a legacy that will be more than just the faces behind the name of the well-known farm.

As they continue to work with their parents in the family business, the sisters say their goal is to positively impact the community through their products. One such avenue for this goal has been the annual events 3 Sisters Family Farm hosts.

“What we’re doing, this is the real deal and it’s difficult for people to comprehend because it is something they’re more removed from,” Donwen said. “But we want to change that and we think our events will.”

This year the farm is hosting the 2016 Hot Dog Round Up to celebrate the wide success of their uncured, grass-fed beef hot dogs and pepperoni sticks. Their products have been picked up by markets both locally and across the country — PCC Natural Markets and Haggen stores both carry their hot dogs.

The July 23 event starts at noon and will feature a multitude of activities, including live music, square dancing lessons, a variety of kids’ games and a gourmet pie eating contest sponsored by Whidbey Pies.

The farm’s own hot dogs will be served for a homestyle lunch and a handful of local food artisans will be on site. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for children under 12 years old, and can be purchased at 3 Sisters Market.

With roughly only 250 tickets available, Muzzall hopes the event will be a more intimate community gathering and will spark people’s interest in what her family does.

“We’ve always hoped to encourage people and especially other women to learn and get involved in what we do,” Muzzall said.

As the sisters continue to navigate an industry with very few other women, their best advice to others who want to work in agriculture is to be a self-starter and have the wisdom to know when something needs an improvement.

“We want to empower all people, male or female, to go for it even if the odds aren’t necessarily in your favor,” she said.