A conference designed to educate women in agriculture concluded Friday, February 14th. Women Managing the Farm 2014 was held at the Hilton Garden Inn, holding countless events for over 200 women across Kansas.
“People are in agriculture because of love,” Janet Barrows, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Frontier Farm Credit said Thursday the 13th. “They either love the industry or they have fallen in love with someone and may find themselves married into a farm operation.”
Barrows is a major figure in the conference, coordinating events alongside the Planning Committee. Events are inclusive to a very diverse set of women, as Barrows mentioned. Classes and lectures hosted by an array of agricultural professionals teach women, of all ages and experiences, everything from financial advice to management in local retail operations. This year’s conference also featured inspirational speeches from figures like Mitch Holtaus, voice of the Kansas City Cheifs in his lecture, The Heart of a Champion.
K-State Research and Extension brought Gregg Hadley, Assistant Director of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Community Development to the conference with a lecture over farm succession.
“A lot of people believe it’s just about getting an estate planned so assets are transferred,” Hadley explained to KMAN on Thursay. “It’s much more than that. It’s about talking business. It’s about talking about family things. It’s about all the things that go into owning a family farm.”
The Farm Credit Council brought Gary Matteson, Vice President for Young, Beginning, Small Farmer Programs and Outreach to give a seminar over financial skills.
“I think what’s happening at this conference, is women here are part of a team, and they want to be more effective partners. That’s the ultimate goal in my mind.” Matteson said when asked by KMAN about the evolving importance women’s roles play in farming today.
Videos of presentations given by Gary Matteson, Gregg Hadley and more will soon be up for viewing at womenmanagingthefarm.info.
