The Farm Women's Symposium will head east this year and hold its 19th annual program at the Doubletree Hotel, Bay City Riverfront on March 10-12, 2010.  The program is designed to bring together women (and men) involved in agriculture to share in fun, learning and fellowship.  Participants create valuable networks, renew friendships, share information, and prepare for the start of another year in agriculture.

Michigan's own Rosemary Ward will kick off the event with "The ABC Advantage".  This program outlines attitude, balance and change as key factors in sustaining success.  Also joining the program on Wednesday is Paul Mobley, author of the book American Farmer: Portraits from the Heartland.   Mobley will will share photos and stories from his travels to over 200 farms and ranches all over the United States. 

Thursday's bus tour will tour the Thumb, with stops at Michigan Sugar and the windmills in Elkton.  This will be a full day of touring with many other exciting stops that you will have to attend to find out!

The conference will close out with syndicated cartoonist – Leigh Rubin; the creator of "Rubes" cartoons. Rubin finds fun and inspiration in dogs, cows, cats, and kids.  His humor shines through in his comics.

The conference will include several other topic offerings by local presenters including the annual political update and an introductory session familiarizing participants on social networking programs such as Facebook and Twitter. 

Scholarships are available for GreenStone Farm Credit Services members; contact your local GreenStone office for details.  For other scholarship opportunities or questions about the Farm Women's Symposium, contact Sheryl Smith at (517) 543-1360, Julie Schwab at (989) 846-4764, or Louise Courter at (989) 463-5991.