The fourth annual Women in Ag Leadership Conference will be held virtually this year on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. The Iowa State University Extension event will address timely and challenging topics. The conference speakers will share leadership knowledge and skills that participants can use to succeed in farm or agribusiness careers.

This year’s theme is Leadership in Unprecedented Times. Sponsored by Farm Credit Services of America, the conference is 1 to 3:30 p.m. Nov. 30  and 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Dec. 1.

A veteran of crisis communication, Eileen Wixted of Wixted & Co. will present a workshop Nov. 30 in the afternoon. She will engage the audience in preparedness activities that can help minimize business disruptions during a crisis.

Lessons learned in 2020

Miriam Erickson Brown, president and CEO, Anderson Erickson Dairy, is the keynote speaker on Dec. 1 at 9:30 a.m. She’ll be sharing her experiences of leading a food company through a global pandemic. She will be followed by Kayla Lyon, director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, who will discuss the challenges of leadership following the derecho windstorm, which swept through Iowa in August. The storm devastated and closed parks across the state.

The afternoon conference session on Dec. 1 will focus on cultivating diversity. Philomena Morrissey Satre, director of diversity and inclusion for Land O’ Lakes Inc., will offer insights into supporting a diverse workplace. A panel of two former Women in Ag Leadership Advisory Committee members, Zoami Calles-Rios Sosa and Jittaun Floyd, will share insights on working in agriculture as minorities. The capstone speaker, ISU Extension farm and agribusiness management specialist Melissa O’Rourke, will help put 2020 in perspective and poise the audience to move into 2021 with grace and optimism.

Gain new leadership skills

Once again, the ISU Extension Women in Ag Program will honor Iowa’s women impacting agriculture during the conference. This honor highlights and celebrates women’s unique contributions to a safe and plentiful food supply while enhancing Iowa’s agricultural systems.

“I’m proud of the conference advisory committee’s work to give attendees an opportunity to discuss many current events in 2020 and gain new leadership skills to help them head into 2021 with confidence and optimism,” says Madeline Schultz, ISU’s Women in Ag program manager.

The virtual conference will offer networking opportunities. When registering for the conference, participants can choose to post their name, email and biographic information or message to the password-protected website.

Share networking opportunities

“Registrants can check this site often to connect with others who are attending the virtual conference to say ‘Hello’ to people they’ve met before or new people who share their interests,” Schultz says. “Another way we’ve built networking into the virtual event is our breakout rooms before, during and after the conference sessions. We want people to have fun and meaningful conversations in small groups, just like they would around a face-to-face conference table.”

The mission of the Iowa State University Extension Women in Ag Program is to improve the quality of life in Iowa by providing research-based educational resources and programs that expand agricultural business, improve natural resource management and support the community of women in agriculture.

The Women in Ag Leadership Conference online registration is open. Cost for the conference is $30. Attendance scholarships are available. For questions or additional information, contact Madeline Schultz at 515-294-0588 or [email protected].

Scarbrough is a communications specialist with the ISU Extension Women in Ag program.