Wisconsin Agriculturist Logo

Conference is planned Feb. 24 in Monroe County.

February 20, 2012

3 Min Read

Farm women from Monroe, Jackson, La Crosse, Juneau and Vernon Counties and the surrounding area are invited to participate in the Heart of the Farm – Women in Agriculture conference to be held in Sparta on Friday, Feb. 24, 2012. This program provides farm women with the opportunity to network with other farm women and learn about various risk management topics and tools that are pertinent to farming.

The conference begins at 9:30 a.m. and ends at 3:15 p.m. and will be held at the Colonial Bowl and Banquet, 1415 West Wisconsin St., Sparta. 

Topics and presenters include:

-- Dealing with the 5Ds: Death, Disability, Disaster, Divorce and Disagreement. Joy Kirkpatrick, Outreach Specialist, UW Center for Dairy Profitability. After a quick review of the tools and strategies used to address the 5Ds, we'll introduce the Bella Acres family. We'll find them facing some of the Ds (they seem to come in twos!) and you'll counsel them as to what they should do. You will also work on your own farm's "5Ds action plan".

-- Effectively Communicating with Legislators: Dos and Don'ts. Steve Boe, District 4 Coordinator for the Wisconsin Farm Bureau. In the world that we farm today, it is more important than ever to be involved in the process of governance. Whether a personal, state or federal issue. In this presentation we will discuss the dos and don'ts and what methods work best when communicating with legislators.

-- Ask the Vet. Lee Edmiston, Sparta Vet Clinic. Dr. Edmiston is back by popular demand. We skipped a year of having him on the agenda, and we heard about it! Have your list of herd health questions ready so that you can get your questions answered.

-- Okay, My Barn Door is Open...Now What? Laura Daniels, dairy farmer from Cobb. Laura Daniels, wife, mother, farmer, dairy nutritionist and agricultural activist will challenge you to think about how you tell your story, and urge you to tell it at every turn! Laura will have you thinking about how your perspective is different than the people you feed, but how your values are the same. She will evoke your pride and ask you to share your values, since research shows it is the best way to connect with your consumers. Laura's dynamic combination of down home farm girl charm and polished professional speaker will have you laughing while you learn.

Heart of the Farm- Women in Agriculture conference series is a UW-Extension program that is committed to addressing the needs of farm women by providing education on farm business topics, connecting them with agricultural resources and creating support networks.

Badgerland Financial of Sparta, State Bank of Sparta and Monroe County UW-Extension are all local sponsors of this workshop. Because of their sponsorship the registration fee is only $10 per person. Registrations are due by Feb. 17, 2012. To register, send payment to Bill Halfman, Monroe County UW-Extension, 14345 Cty. Hwy B, Room 1, Sparta, WI  54656. Make checks payable to the UW-Extension. Visit the Heart of the Farm website www.uwex.edu/ces/heartofthefarm to download a brochure. 

Heart of the Farm – Women in Agriculture is sponsored at the state level by the UW Center for Dairy Profitability and is partially funded by a USDA Risk Management Agency Outreach grant, Focus on Energy, and the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

For more information or to register call the Monroe County UW-Extension office at 608-269-8722 or the UW-Center for Dairy Profitability at 608-263-3485.

Subscribe to receive top agriculture news
Be informed daily with these free e-newsletters

You May Also Like