From the time when mules pulled the plow until the days when microwaves were used in farm kitchens, the contributions of women have been vital to the development of United States agriculture. "Women at the Reins" contains the stories of these women. Collected as a special "From Mules to Microwaves" project by the American Agri-Women, these stories preserve oral and written histories documenting rural lifestyles from a female perspective.