Tag: women in agriculture

Programming

Women Managing Ag Land Conference

Brandy VanDeWalle

There are many women whether by choice or chance who manage agricultural land. For some, it is their livelihood and business. Other women might have inherited land from a family member and there are also women who just want to learn more about the agricultural business in partnership with a spouse or family member. No matter what the circumstance, Nebraska Extension will be providing a program to equip women with necessary management skills.

white laptop female hand note pen phone desk
Photo by Kaboompics .com on Pexels.com

A recent news release came out which shared that any female agriculture landowners, farmers, and ranchers looking to increase their business management skills are encouraged to register for the 2019 Women Managing Agricultural Land conference. The conference will be held Dec. 11 at Nebraska Innovation Campus, 2021 Transformation Drive in Lincoln.

The first-ever Women Managing Agricultural Land Conference will allow women to build relationships with each other, attend workshops and gain valuable knowledge. Three keynote speakers and 12 workshops will focus on helping Nebraska farmland owners and tenants navigate the challenges they face.

Participants will have the opportunity to hear from leading experts in land values, Nebraska property taxes, cash rental rates and cultivating landlord-tenant relationships. Jim Jansen, co-author of the Nebraska Farm Real Estate survey, will discuss trends in Nebraska land values. Mykel Taylor, of Kansas State University, will share resources related to negotiations and communication between landowners and tenants. Cathy Anderson, from the Nebraska USDA Farm Service Agency, will discuss the 2018 Farm Bill and its implications for Nebraska agriculture.

The full conference schedule and registration form are available at https://wia.unl.edu/wmal. A registration fee of $45 per person covers materials, meals, and breaks.

The conference is hosted by Nebraska Extension and is inspired by Annie’s Project. In Nebraska, Annie’s Project is supported by Farm Credit Services of America. For more information about the Women Managing Agriculture Land conference, go to wia.unl.edu.

 

Crops, Irrigation, Livestock, Programming

Annie’s Inspired – A Three Hour Session for Farm Women Involved in Agriculture 

Brandy VanDeWalle

Annies Inspired 2019.jpg

Farm and ranch women are generating a cultural tide in American agriculture that is moving management, assets and opportunities to a new wave of farmers across the country. At Annie’s Project workshops, farm women become empowered to be better business partners or sole operators through networks and by managing and organizing critical information. Whether you are a woman working full-time in the operation or have off-farm employment, Annie’s Project is for you.

A new “short-course”, titled Annie’s Inspired will be held in four different locations in South Central Nebraska. This one-evening workshop is being repeated in Fillmore, Clay, Nuckolls and Thayer Counties, all running from 6-9:00 p.m. with a light meal included. Registration is $5 per participant and due one week prior to the respective program date. Program dates and locations include:

  • February 11th – Fillmore County Extension Office – Geneva
  • February 18th – Clay County Fairgrounds – Clay Center
  • February 25th – Compadres Mexican Restaurant – Hebron
  • March 4th – Nelson Senior Citizen/Community Center – Nelson

The workshop is designed to be discussion-based, bringing women together to learn from experts in human resources, basic crop production issues, and other topics of interest to the group. There will be plenty of time for questions, sharing, reacting and connecting with presenters and fellow participants. The learning environment will be relaxed and fun, providing a dynamic way to learn, grow and meet other farm and ranch women.

To register, the $5 fee is payable to University of Nebraska-Lincoln due 1 week prior to the workshops attending and can be sent to: Fillmore County Extension, 1340 G Street, Geneva, NE 68361. Statewide program sponsor includes Farm Credit Services of America.  Annie’s Project courses have successfully reached more than 9,000 farm and ranch women in 33 states. Linda, an Annie’s Project alumna says, “I took the class to gain a better understanding about agribusiness and how financial decisions impact our farm operation. I have a better understanding of balance sheets and the futures market…this class has improved communication with my spouse on concerns he works with on a daily basis.”

Course size is limited, so please register by calling the Fillmore or Clay County Extension office at 402.759.3712 or 402.762.3644 or for more information, go to: https://wia.unl.edu/anniesproject.  For more information contact Brandy VanDeWalle at 402.759.3712 or brandy.vandewalle@unl.edu.

Programming

Women in Agriculture

Brandy VanDeWalle

Last week I had the opportunity to participate in the 30th Annual Nebraska Women in Agriculture conference. This was only the second year I have participated and well worth the time! Discussions around advocating for agriculture were very powerful. Rebecca Long-Chaney was very inspirational and reminded us that no matter how busy we are in life; make time for family and friends. Her message and involvement with “agvocacy” is to be commended and wia-01her twin daughters also have shared their experiences in agriculture through children’s stories. With all of the anti-ag Chipotle ads, Meatrix videos and other false information out there, it is good to know there are some people sharing the factual information about modern agriculture. The bottom line is that even though farmers and ranchers shouldn’t have to defend their way of life and jobs, we need to because of the increasing disconnect consumers have with agriculture.

Simple ways of communicating the facts about modern agriculture include writing letters to the editor, educating youth in classrooms or programs, buying factual agricultural library books for your child’s schools/communities, having a 30 second elevator speech on agriculture ready and sharing it every opportunity you have (especially in urban areas), engaging in social media and inviting people to your farm or ranch to show them the great job you do!

There were so many other great sessions from crop insurance and marketing updates to emergency preparedness and water updates. One of the things that were emphasized was how women involved in agriculture (especially spouses of farmers/ranchers) are truly the “heart of agriculture”. Women play a key role in supporting agriculture through a variety of ways and it made me hope that someday, not only will I be able to work with ag producers and youth, but my husband and I will be able to have a small ag operation of our own so we can instill the hard work ethic and values into our daughters which were instilled in my husband and I.

If you are a female and involved in agriculture, I highly recommend you take time out of your busy schedules to participate in the Nebraska Women in Agriculture Conference next year!