“The Power of You” is the theme for the second annual Women in Agriculture Conference. It will be held at the Washington County fairgrounds in southeast Iowa on March 24.

The goal of this year’s conference is to show women of all ages the power they can have in their chosen agricultural field in sharing their story in agriculture, even in the simplest of day-to-day activities and conversations.

The event is being hosted by Washington County Extension and Outreach along with the Washington County Women in Agriculture Advisory Board. Iowa Women in Ag is a nonprofit organization formed in 2005 to serve women farmers, landowners and ag business professionals.

“We help women grow their expertise, skills and knowledge, and expand their community connections so they can achieve their financial potential and contribute to the ag community they love,” says Madeline Schultz, manager of the Women in Ag program for Iowa State University Extension. “We are governed by a board of directors, volunteers who plan and carry out all aspects of our programs and services, including our annual conference.”

Lineup of speakers, topics
The conference will feature the following five speakers: 

• April Hemmes, a fourth-generation farmer

• Barbara Hall and Kathryn Gamble, author and photographer of Women and the Land

• Cristen Clarke, farmer, wife, mother, blogger and award-winning cook and baker

• Ruth MacDonald, former chair of the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition and newly appointed interim senior associate dean for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University

• Kristine Tidgren, director of the Center for Ag Law and Taxation at Iowa State University

Hemmes, Hall, and Clarke will focus on the importance of telling agriculture’s story and why people need to know about what we do in agriculture. Hall and Gamble’s book features several women from southeast Iowa.

MacDonald and Tidgren will provide talking points that attendees can use in sharing agriculture’s story. MacDonald will focus on consumer perceptions of food and biotechnology, while Tidgren will focus on current legal issues in agriculture.

Registration deadline March 16
Sign-in for the conference starts at 8:30 a.m., with the conference kicking off at 9 a.m. The conference will conclude around 3 p.m. Registration to attend the conference is $25 or $15 for students. You can register by calling the Washington County Extension office at 319-653-4811 or online.

The registration deadline is March 16. Late registrations and walk-in registrations will be accepted based on availability. If you would like to learn more about the Women in Ag Conference, call the Washington County Extension Office at 319-653-4811 for information.

The conference is being made possible in large part thanks to Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, the Azariah and Martha Foster Heritage Endowment, Hills Bank and Trust Co. and other local sponsors.

Source: Iowa Women in Agriculture