Women-owned firms increase in state

Thirty-five years ago when Linda Rae Winter opened a hair salon, farm wives were expected to stay at home.

“As a farm wife, I was told you should not work in town, you have to stay home and do the farm work,” she recalled.

With support from a “progressive husband” Winter got around that by opening her business at home. That allowed her to help out on the farm, raise children, attend activities, run a business and escape at least some of the criticism that at the time was leveled at female entrepreneurs.

As a longtime businesswoman, Winter is part of a trend…