National Women in Agriculture Educators Conference


30 Minute Breakouts
Add Your Educational Materials to the National Ag Risk Education Library
30 Minute Breakouts
Kevin Klair, kklair@umn.edu
Center for Farm Financial Management - University of Minnesota
http://www.agrisk.umn.edu

Add your educational materials to the National Ag Risk Education Library. A few simple steps is all it takes to have your documents added to this National Online Library.

Learn how to upload and manage your documents in the Ag Risk Library. Over 1,000 people visit the Ag Risk Library each day, start sharing your publications with them!


Materials
Not Available
Adding the Internet Marketing to Your Farm Business Recipe
30 Minute Breakouts
Beth Holtzman, beth.holtzman@uvm.edu
University of Vermont Women´s Agricultural Network
http://www.uvm.edu/wagn

Co-Presenters
Jessica Hyman, University of Vermont Center for Rural Studies.

Agricultural micro-businesses are numerous in Vermont, but research shows that many of these entrepreneurs are unaware of, or intimidated by, the prospects of incorporating e-commerce and information technology into their marketing and business practices. The potential of e-commerce to help these entrepreneurs span rural distances to market and sell their products is largely untapped.

Over the last two years, the UVM Center for Rural Studies and Women’s Agricultural Network have developed and tested a new curriculum for agricultural entrepreneurs who want to incorporate e-commerce features – e.g. email lists, online marketing, online ordering – into their operations. The curriculum was specifically developed to accommodate the learning style and preferences of female farm entrepreneurs, and to address potential risks small farm businesses face as they enter the e-commerce arena. The curriculum emphasizes integrating e-commerce with overall business and marketing and encourages participants to think critically about what features are appropriate for their businesses.

We have run three separate pilots of the course, adjusting format and content of the course to respond to feedback from participants. Follow-up evaluations show that participants are using information, technical skills and knowledge they gain through the class to implement a variety of e-commerce strategies.

This presentation provides: an overview of the curriculum, lessons learned along the way, and impact so far on the 29 students who have completed the course.
Materials
Adding the Internet to Your Business Recipe Presentation
AgPlan - A New Online Business Planning Tool
30 Minute Breakouts
Kevin Klair, kklair@umn.edu
Center for Farm Financial Management
http://www.cffm.umn.edu

Co-Presenters
Dale Nordquist, Center for Farm Financial Management

AgPlan is powerful new online tool designed to help rural businesses develop a business plan. AgPlan is free of charge for anyone to use individually or in educational programs.

AgPlan lets you select a format from four different types of rural businesses: Ag – Commodity, Ag – Value-Added, Rural Small Business, or Commercial Fishing. Each business type has an outline designed specifically for that particular type of business, tips or questions that help you develop each section of the plan, sample business plans, and links to additional resources for each section of the plan.

AgPlan is designed to help business owner’s work with an educator or consultant while developing a business plan. You can give access to your business plan to the reviewers of your choice and AgPlan will facilitate interaction with them.


Materials
AgPlan: The Business Plan Website
Annie´s Project - Women Marketing Grain
30 Minute Breakouts
Tim Eggers, teggers@iastate.edu
Iowa State University Extension
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/feci

This session will address successes and failures in the implementation of Annie’s Project-Women Marketing Grain (AP-WMG) in Iowa. AP-WMG teaches both strategic and tactical grain marketing and the tools for each. The program continues the Annie’s Project model of question any thing at any time group discussion, time for private discussion at breaks, encouragement of mentoring, and participant ownership of the learning environment.

AP-WMG builds on the success of Annie’s Project and Winning the Game (WtG). Since 2003, Annie’s Project has educated 977 Iowa farm business partners in production, financial, marketing, legal, and human resources risk. Since 2003 WtG has educated 5,700 Iowa farmers in production and marketing risk. When Annie’s Project participants were surveyed about their desire for additional risk management education, eighty-one percent of participants indicated a preference for additional in-depth market risk management training.

Winning the Game is an intense three hour program in either its pre or post harvest versions. We will discuss the results of simply doubling the contact time for a Winning the Game session and adding another three hours for a discussion of relevant marketing tools. Can effecting programming for women in agriculture be this simple?


Materials
Annie's Project - Women Marketing Grain
Annie´s Project in Maryland and Delaware
30 Minute Breakouts
Jennifer Rhodes, jrhodes@umd.edu
Maryland Cooperative Extension, Queen Anne´s County

Co-Presenters
Shannon Dill, Maryland Cooperative Extension, Talbot County Wesley Musser, University of Maryland Laurie Wolinski, University of Delaware Lori Lynch, University of Maryland

ANNIE’S PROJECT IN MARYLAND AND DELAWARE

Annie’s Project has not been conducted previously in the Northeastern States. Because Maryland’s Eastern Shore and Delaware are one agricultural area, these states will collaborate on a workshop. It will be conducted January 16-March 5, 2008. This presentation will report on this workshop.

The workshop will follow the basic organization that has been used in other areas of the country. Seven workshop sessions will be held. Main topics for the sessions are: Human Resources and Time Management, Risk Management Overview, Business Planning and Grain Marketing, Computer Use, Computer Programs for Finance and Management, Women and Money, and Topics Chosen by the Participants. The presenters on this proposal are the major workshop teachers. A county family and consumer science educator, an extension IT coordinator, and local farm credit and insurance personnel will also make presentations.

The workshop is being conducted in cooperation with a local community college. The workshop will be listed in their course catalog, and they will handle the registration, and provide classrooms for the workshops. The classes will be conducted from 6-9 pm and will include dinner. This timing will allow farm women who hold full time off-farm jobs to participate.

The registration fee will be $25 because grant money is available to support the workshop. Besides the course catalog, publicity material will be included in county extension newsletters and a mailing will be made to all farms in the area. Farm organizations and farm credit will also provide publicity.



Materials
Annie's Project in Maryland
Annie´s Project, panel discussion
30 Minute Breakouts
Loree Morgan, lmorgan@mgga.org
Montana Grain Growers Association
http://montanamarketmanager.org

Co-Presenters
Mark Major, Montana State University Extension Service

Montana Grain Growers Association would be interested in participating in a panel discussion of Annie’s Project presentations.

Annie’s Project is an education program that seeks to address the challenges that women face as owners and business partners in agricultural operations, and to arm them with the tools to succeed in their operations. Montana’s large size and variety of agricultural operations creates a unique situation in providing educational opportunities to farmers and ranchers. Montana Grain Growers Association recognized the need for a program like Annie’s Project and will present the program for the first time in Montana in early 2008 to 13 locations using local facilitators at each site and interactive video conferencing. Most of the preparatory work for the program is being done at the MGGA office, including coordination of sites, lining up speakers, providing a central registration point, preparation of participants’ notebooks, hosting a facilitator training workshop and administration of budget.

Of particular interest to the Montana experience will be how each location was able to “customize” Annie’s Project to meet the unique needs of their area; how effective was the interactive video conferencing with 13 locations; and how well the central registration and administration worked.


Materials
Montana 2008 Annie's Project
Montana 2008 Annie's Project (white background)
Montana Annie's 2008
Arkansas’ Women in Agriculture: Changing Challenges and Growing Opportunities
30 Minute Breakouts
Jennie Popp, jhpopp@uark.edu
University of Arkansas

Co-Presenters
Carmen Albright, University of Arkansas

Effective education requires an initial understanding of the knowledge, the needs and the experience of the education program participants. As part of education program development, participants of the 2005-2007 Arkansas Women in Agriculture conferences were surveyed to identify recent changes in their roles on and off the farm, the factors important to their success, and the problems they face in their businesses. Respondents were broken into two groups—Farm (women owner-operators of farms, ranches, or agribusinesses) and Non-farm (women working in supporting agricultural industries)—for comparisons and responses were also analyzed across years. Farm women most often reported problems keeping good employees each year, while Non-farm women often reported having problems with being respected as a female business person. For Farm women, the factor most often cited as important to success in their business was being able to pass the business on to family; for Non-farm women it was being able to apply their talents and skills. These results suggest that different types of agricultural women hold different attitudes about business and face different challenges. Results across years suggest that successes and problems may change over time. This marks some of the first research on the roles, challenges, and attitudes of Arkansas’ women in agriculture. Based on the results of this research, educational efforts are underway across the state to assist Arkansas’ women in agriculture.

Materials
Arkansas' Women in Agriculture: Changing Challenges and Growing Opportunities
Arkansas' Women in Agriculture: Changing Challenges and Growing Opportunities
Census of Agriculture Resources
30 Minute Breakouts
Damona Doye, damona.doye@okstate.edu
Oklahoma State University
http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/

The purpose of this session is to increase participant’s familiarity with Census of Agriculture demographic resources available on the NASS website, particularly as they relate to women and minorities in agriculture. This information is invaluable in increasing awareness of the diversity in agricultural operations, in identifying potential target audiences and in preparing project proposals. Examples of statistics that are available at the national and state level include Selected Farm Characteristics by Race of Principal Operator; for Women Principal Operators; for Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino Origin Principal Operators; for Women Operators; for Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino Origin Operators; Age and Primary Occupation of Principal Operator; Tenure of Principal Operator and by Operators on Farm; and American Indian and Alaska Native Farm Operators.

At the state level other data tables include Tenure, Number of Operators, Type of Organization, and Principal Operator Characteristics; White Operators; Black or African American Operators; American Indian or Alaska Native Operators; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander Operators; Asian Operators; Operators Reporting More Than One Race; Women Principal Operators; Women Operators; Women Principal Operators by Tenure; and Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino Origin Operators.

Finally, U.S. Agricultural Atlas Maps include ones showing the percent of farms with female principal operators by county across the nation. Specialty products and specialty studies include minority and women principal operators.

Materials
Census of Agriculture Resources
Conservation Planning, Risk Management, and SARE-Farm Beginnings
30 Minute Breakouts
Cheryl Simmons, cheryl.simmons@ftw.usda.gov
USDA-NRCS
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov

Co-Presenters
Cheryl Simmons, Central National Technology Support Center, Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA

This breakout will combine discussion on conservation planning and risk management, North Central Region - Sustainable Agriculture and Research Education (NCR-SARE), and Farm Beginnings.

Conservation planning combines the best elements of cooperative conservation to provide new opportunities to improve environmental performance and maintain productivity. Conservation planning is a natural resource problem solving and management process. Special risk management options include drought management plans. The Web Soil Survey provides access to on-line foundation material. Good conservation planning integrates economic, social (cultural resources are included with social), and ecological considerations to meet private and public needs. Conservation planning can help to manage risk by improving natural resource management, minimizing conflict, and addressing problems and opportunities.
Materials
Conservation Planning as Part of a Risk Management Strategy
SARE, Outreach, and Farm Beginnings
Context and Delivery In PA Women´s Agricultural Network: What we know about education for women farmers
30 Minute Breakouts
Carolyn Sachs, csachs@psu.edu
Penn State University--PAWAgN
http://wagn.cas.psu.edu/

Co-Presenters
Kathy Brasier, Linda Moist, Nancy Ellen Kiernan, Mary Barbercheck and Amy Trauger Penn State

The Pennsylvania Women´s Agricultural Network is involved in multiple research and extension activities to reduce the risk of women farmers. The Pennsylvania Women´s Agricultural Network has expanded tremendously since our beginnings in 2003 to over 900 members as of December, 2007. This presentation provides an overview of several aspects of our program including revising Annie´s project for the Northeast, leadership training, regional networking, and workshops/fieldays. As integral components of our programming efforts, we have conducted extensive needs assessments and evaluations to determine how best to help women farmers reduce financial, production, marketing, and legal risks. We will provide a series of recommendations for agricultural professionals about the context and delivery of educational programs, networking opportunities, and leadership development for women farmers.
Materials
Not Available
Cultivating Success- Growing Opportunities for Sustainable Small Farmers in WA and ID
30 Minute Breakouts
Kristy Ott, kristy_ott@wsu.edu
Cultivating Success
http://www.cultivatingsuccess.org

Cultivating Success, a collaboration between Washington State University, University of Idaho, and non-profit Rural Roots, consists of semester-long courses offered through over 20 Extension offices and college campuses in Washington and Idaho. The goal of the program is to create and implement new educational programs that will increase the number and foster the long-term success of small sustainable farmers and ranchers in Washington and Idaho. Experienced farmers, community resource people, and university specialists are brought together with students in the classroom and in the field. From 2000 until present, over $2 million in funds have been generated to support the Cultivating Success Program allowing 1592 students, including 132 Latino and Hmong farmers, to participate in Cultivating Success courses. The introductory course, Sustainable Small Farming and Ranching, provides beginning and existing farmers with the planning and decision-making tools to develop a whole-farm plan for an economically and environmentally successful small acreage enterprise. A second course, Agricultural Entrepreneurship, focuses on farm business planning and the reduction of financial risks. Students gain knowledge of the business planning process, financial management techniques, and successful marketing strategies. Over 200 farm business plans have been developed as a result of students taking this course. Other courses include but are not limited to Organic Gardening and Farming, Ecological Soils Management, World Agriculture Systems and Field Analysis of Sustainable Food Systems. Ninety-eight percent of students surveyed have rated the courses effective in potentially increasing the number and success of small acreage farmers.



Materials
Cultivating Success- Growing Opportunities for Sustainable Small Farmers in WA and ID
Economic Considerations Related to Alternative Agricultural Enterprises
30 Minute Breakouts
Roger Sahs, roger.sahs@okstate.edu
Oklahoma State University
http://www.agecon.okstate.edu/budgets/

Agricultural producers must make financial plans and management decisions aimed at profitability and sustainability in an increasing risky environment. Alternative agricultural enterprises such as specialty crops are being added to operations by producers in hopes of increasing farm profit. Producers need assistance in realistically evaluating financial prospects of alternative enterprises and in identifying cost effective ways of producing specialty commodities. Many horticultural crops are not insurable or may be underserved with available coverage.

A lack of time and knowledge are common reasons given by producers for not using recommended practices. Limited discretionary time and the need for adopting best management practices make it imperative that timely, unbiased information be accessible to interested or existing producers involving alternative enterprises. Economic considerations and keys to success are required information. Marketing, land and labor resources, financing, and management skills are critical components. Enterprise budgets also provide a firm foundation for risk-management decisions. Knowledge of budgeting and the ability to use them assist producers to focus on financial management as well as production performance.


Materials
Economic Considerations Related to Alternative Agricultural Enterprises
Educational Outreach Programs for Women: Improving Farm Women´s Proficiency in Farm Business Management
30 Minute Breakouts
Lynn Hambleton, lynnhambleton@yahoo.com
Annie´s Project -- Education for Farm Women

The mission of Annie’s Project-Education for Farm Women is “to empower farm women to be better business partners through networks and by managing and organizing critical information.” This study seeks to determine the extent to which women’s skill sets improved as a result of participating in Annie’s Project. Illinois farm women who participated in Annie’s Project were given a pre-test or baseline survey which measured farming practices in the five areas of risk (production, marketing, financial, legal and human resource). The women were later resurveyed. The improvement is measured by calculating the percent increase in ‘yes’ responses from the baseline to the post-test. Preliminary small sample results suggest an overall increase of 11%. The category which had the smallest percent increase in ‘yes’ responses is the production area. The strongest improvement occurred in the financial category. A regression analysis was also performed to determine whether socio-economic variables, such as marital status and number of children, play a role in the percent increase in ‘yes’ responses. Preliminary findings suggest that descriptors explain very little about the percentage increase in ‘yes’ responses. In particular the explanatory variable ´years experience´ only accounted for .04% of the variance in the dependent variable, which is percent increase in ‘yes’ responses. Additionally, none of the other variables had a significant impact on the percentage increase. A test of means reveals that the percentage change in ´yes´ responses from the pre-test to the post-test is highly significant at the .05 level. In other words, there will be a significant increase in the number of ´yes´ responses but we cannot say which groups of women were more impacted.






Materials
Educational Outreach Programs for Women: Improving Farm Women's Proficiency in Farm Business Management
Farm Succession Planning with Personal Coaching for Participating Families
30 Minute Breakouts
Diana Roberts, robertsd@wsu.edu
Washington State University Extension
http://www.spokane-county.wsu.edu/

County faculty from Washington and Oregon Extension initiated a farm succession planning project based on needs assessment of farm families in eastern Washington and Oregon. The project is funded by the Western Center for Risk Management Education and USDA-CSREES.

From 2006 to 2008 we held 3 farm succession planning workshops at each of 6 locations across the region. Participation in these workshops greatly exceeded expectations! Workshop topics included;
• reasons for developing a farm succession plan,
• communicating successfully with all family members involved,
• identifying appropriate professional input,
• an overview of relevant state laws,
• discussion on estate laws and writing wills,
• conducting successful family meetings,
• overcoming difficulties encountered in the process,
• making good use of attorney time,
• specifying inheritance of treasured personal items,
• protecting the business in the event of a sudden death,
• and getting motivated!
.

We recognize that farm succession planning is a challenging process. A unique feature of this project is that families who committed to developing a succession plan received free coaching throughout the project. The coaches were hired initially and trained by WSU to advise farm families who were experiencing financial difficulty. The coaches all had experience in business and/or the banking industry. They contacted the client families on a regular basis by phone or e-mail to encourage them through the steps of the process. If requested, they met in person with the client families to assist with goal-setting or to facilitate family meetings.


Materials
Not Available
Farm Transition and Estate Planning: Farm Family Evaluation and Behavioral Change
30 Minute Breakouts
Gary Hachfeld, hachf002@umn.edu
University of Minnesota Extension

Co-Presenters
None

A majority of farm families have not named a business successor nor developed an up-to-date farm business transition and estate plan. This program effort was designed to enable farm families to gain a better understanding of the process required and thus develop and implement a farm transition and estate plan. In terms of improving understanding, the workshops were highly successful with most of the 800 participants indicating their understanding of the main educational points of the workshop improved due to attending the workshop. Almost all indicated they better understood the need for clear goals and communication between genders and generations. Over 90% said they better understood transfer strategies and the importance of assessing the financial strength of the farm business. In addition, 90% said they had improved understanding of estate planning issues as part of the process. Eighty-seven percent said they had improved understanding of tax issues related to farm transfer. While 71.9% of participants did not have an up-to-date estate plan and 85% did not have an up-to-date farm business transfer plan, 98% stated that because they attended the workshop, they would begin the farm transfer process this year. This program is an example of a strong creative team and collaborative approach to curriculum design, marketing and program delivery. A unique marketing technique referred to as the “sponsorship model” was utilized to publicize the program to potential sponsors. This is a departure from traditional program marketing approaches.

Materials
Farm Transition & Estate Planning: Farm Family & Behavioral Changes
Financial Planning for Small Businesses
30 Minute Breakouts
Paul Ellinger, pellinge@uiuc.edu
University of Illinois
http://www.farmdoc.uiuc.edu/ellinger/

This session outlines financial concepts and an excel-based Farm Analysis Solutions Tools (FAST) spreadsheet designed to assist small businesses develop and analyze a 5-year financial plan. The session outlines the financing segment of a multi-session business planning course for small businesses. The session is separated into two segments – break even analysis and pro-forma financial analysis.

Two vital components for a successful business plan include a deep understanding of the economics of the business and a longer-term financial plan. The economics of the business requires identifying the major revenue sources in addition to distinguishing between variable and fixed costs. Using these concepts to develop a better understanding of breakeven prices and breakeven production levels are valuable components of any business plan. These concepts are illustrated conceptually and demonstrated via an excel-based FAST tool.

The second part of the session is the development of information that is needed to develop a 5-year financial plan. Start-up costs, investments, financing and a monthly timeline are identified as critical elements to the development of a financial plan. Incorporating these components into a financial plan is discussed. A full set of financial statements and ratios are projected for 5 years. Users can enter and evaluate three potential economic and production scenarios. Moreover, the program can solve for the initial equity and debt capital required to maintain specified.

This educational program was part of a series of classes on small business planning for alternative enterprises in agriculture. A majority of the students were women.
Materials
Financial Planning for Small Businesses
New Company Simulator Model
Help for Entrepreneurs – eXtension Puts Assistance at Your Fingertips
30 Minute Breakouts
Gae Broadwater, gae.broadwater@kysu.edu
Kentucky State University
http://

Co-Presenters
Mary Peabody, UVM Extension Specialist Community Resources & Economic Development & Director, Women´s Agricultural Network 617 Comstock Road, Suite 5 Berlin, VT 05602-9194 Phone: 802-223-2389 extension 13 or tollfree: 866-860-1382 extension 13 Fax: 802-223-6500 E-mail: mary.peabody@uvm.edu

As farming and rural communities search for ways to add value to their products and local economic base, they are becoming more entrepreneurial. At the same time rural communities are getting “wired” and more women are going online to seek information, learn new things, and connect with others.

Participants in this session will learn about a 24/7 resource available from a national to answer their questions about how to start and grow a business. eXtension provides regularly updated links to:
• Frequently Asked Questions: Answers to hundreds of questions posed by people Information Briefs: Information on key topics for entrepreneurs and communities
• Research Highlights: Current articles written on a variety of entrepreneurship-related topics
• Calendar of Events: Exciting programs and activities planned across the country.
• Cool Tools: Ways to assess the readiness of individuals to become entrepreneurs
• Case Studies: People and places that are proven success stories
• State and local policies: List of states that have been instrumental in spurring the growth of entrepreneurship
• Learning Lessons: Guidance on a variety of topics for entrepreneurs (both adult and youth) and for communities that want to become “entrepreneur ready”

Additionally, this session will gather input as to what additional materials would be helpful and how eXtension can more effectively include women farmers in the site’s development.

Materials are designed for Extension Specialists and Agents involved in community and economic development, as well as city and county officials, economic developers, educators, and workforce development professionals.




Materials
Help for Entrepreneurs--eXtension Puts Assistance at Your Fingertips
Is Corn Profitable?
30 Minute Breakouts
Eddie Johnson, ejohnso3@umd.edu
Univ of MD Cooperative Extension
http://wicomico.umd.edu/

Co-Presenters
Laura Hunsburger University of Maryland Wicomico County Extension PO Box 1836 Salisbury, Md 21802

IS CORN PRODUCTION PROFITABLE
ON THE LOWER EASTERN SHORE OF MARYLAND

Research Question Mid-Atlantic farmers experience a better than average corn market because of the demand here by the Poultry industry. Demand for corn by the Poultry industry alone has been estimated to exceed Maryland’s average annual production by 50%. What is the cost of corn production using all of the various inputs, irrigation, management styles, on many different farms?
Materials
national women in ag conference Eddie Johnson
Oklahoma Annie´s
30 Minute Breakouts
Bill Burton, bill.burton@okstate.edu
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
http://anniesproject.okstate.edu/

Co-Presenters
Will Cubbage, Aarika Holt, Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service

Annie’s Project, a program initiated in Illinois, quickly spread to other nearby states including Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Ohio. The target audience is farm women with a passion for business and involvement and the aim is to empower them to be better business partners. The project is accomplished through a series of six workshop sessions through which they network and build skills to manage and organize critical information. Participants say that they find answers, strength, and friendship. They also grow in confidence, business skills, and community prestige.

The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service offered its first Annie’s Project sessions in January 2007 in northeast Oklahoma. A second group was formed in central Oklahoma in fall 2007 and 6 additional groups are scheduled to begin in spring 2008. Here’s what Oklahoma women have said about their experience in Annie’s: "I believe I’m more confident in my farm management decisions." "I now understand how many factors must be considered when making financial management decisions." Other impacts that participants anticipate as a result of participation include increasing use of production records, creating and using marketing plans, calculating breakeven prices for crops and livestock, preparing financial statements regularly, reviewing farm insurance policies annually, writing and reviewing farm business goals, adopting and using new farm record software, estimating and reviewing retirement costs and needs. In this session, we will discuss resources used and outcomes of our initial workshops.


Materials
Not Available
Online Education & Women Farmers -- Opportunities and Barriers
30 Minute Breakouts
Mary Peabody, Mary.Peabody@uvm.edu
UVM Extension Women´s Ag Network
http://www.uvm.edu/wagn

Co-Presenters
Beth Holtzman, UVM Women´s Ag Network

In 2006, the Women´s Agricultural Network started offering online classes. This session will take a look at the opportunities in online education as well as some of our experiences in this area. We´ll spend a short amount of time on the technical aspects such as synchronous vs asynchronous applications and the platforms available. We´ll discuss the accommodations that we´ve made in order to make these online classes more "warm and welcoming" to our program participants and we´ll share some of the challenges that we´ve faced along the way. We´ll also discuss our "coaching" program and how that serves to keep program participants connected to local services no matter where they live.
Materials
Online education and women farmers
Passing Indian Lands to Future Generations
30 Minute Breakouts
Marsha Goetting, goetting@montana.edu
Montana State University Extension
http://www.montana.edu/extensionecon/familyeconomics.html

Co-Presenters
Marsha A. Goetting, Montana State University Extension

Passing Indian lands to future generations is a challenge given the fractionation that has occurred since the allotment period. Fractionation means that tribal members may inherit “undivided interests” in tracts of land—interests that many times are shared with a hundred or more other Indians who may or may not be living on that reservation.
In many families it’s the “mothers and grandmothers” who take on the task of attending educational sessions to learn about the American Indian Probate Reform Act that was passed with the goal of reducing fractionation.

During this session PowerPoint slides and the packet of information that has been developed to help reservation land owners on the Blackfeet, Fort Hall, and Fort Belknap reservations make informed risk management decisions about estate planning under the American Indian Probate Reform Act (AIPRA). While the materials were targeted for these specific reservations, the content is applicable to reservations across the United States. The goal of the 14 fact sheets in the packet is provide women (and men) who own undivided interests with the information they need to avoid further fractionation of agriculture land that is so important to their livestock and grain operations. Topics include: the consequences of dying without a written will under AIPRA and the benefits of utilizing estate planning risk management tools including written wills, appropriate titling of their fee status lands, and the utilization of gifting, and life estates.


Materials
goettingindianlands
Planning for the future of your farm & family
30 Minute Breakouts
Mary Sobba, sobbam@missouri.edu
University of Missouri Extension
http://agebb.missouri.edu/goldenage

Golden Age Farming began as a University Extension class for farm families 55+ years of age in Missouri in 2005. The class was designed by University Extension based upon topics that would help farmers pass on the farm to the next generation or liquidate the farm at retirement. The goal of Golden Age Farming is to empower farm families to plan for their future, using the compiled class manual, a network of class participants and appropriate professionals.

During 2004-05, an instructor manual was developed by University Extension personnel. The manual includes multiple risk management areas, while focusing on estate planning, retirement issues, succession of the farm and adaptations on the farm. Also, it includes instructor notes, resources, handouts, sample exercises, evaluation pieces and suggested ideas. The manual was developed to be shared and to allow customization to local agriculture. Additional instructors were trained in Missouri this past year.

Golden Age Farming was designed to be taught in four sessions, with a variety of teaching methods. The manuals for both instructors and students have been placed on the Golden Age Farming website, so that others have easy access to materials. Also, electronic versions allow for easy updates/additions to the manual.

The program, Golden Age Farming has appealed to audiences of varying ages. Initially, the target was 55+ years of age, but enrollments indicated it was growing in popularity with younger farm families too. The classes were taught by University Extension educators.


Materials
Golden Age Farming
Program Impact Evaluation: Is the Pain Worth The Gain?
30 Minute Breakouts
Gary Hachfeld, hachf002@umn.edu
University of Minnesota Extension

Co-Presenters
None

Many excellent educational programs are delivered but many times participant behavioral change and potential substantive impact are not evaluated and the results go unreported. This is a huge opportunity missed by many educators. This presentation will explore one approach to evaluating and reporting program impact in terms of participant increased knowledge, their behavioral change, and what I refer to as the “so what” of that behavioral change or program impact. Program impact is the result of participants acting on or putting into effect their new knowledge. As described by Claude F. Bennett in his program evaluative work, there is a seven step hierarchy for program evaluation. Each step increases the complexity of evaluative information gathered. The very last step in the hierarchy is program impact. Also discussed will be approaches to gathering both “hard” evaluative and “soft” evaluative results. Hard evaluative results includes such things as increased income, changes in profit or loss, changes in indexes such as a pollution index, etc. Soft evaluative results includes such things as casual perceptions of change such as an increase in quality of life, environmental quality, etc. Lastly, good program impact evaluation can be beneficial if reported in a creative manner. Reporting substantive impact results can aid educators in garnering grant funds, rallying political or collaborative support for a program effort or organization, and informing the public of the quality educational programming being done by you, your team, and your organization.

Materials
Program Impact & Outcome Evaluation: Is The Pain Worth The Gain?
Quicken 2008 for Farm Financial Records and New Educational Resources
30 Minute Breakouts
Damona Doye, damona.doye@okstate.edu
Oklahoma State University
http://agecon.okstate.edu/2uicken

All farm families need records to facilitate tax preparation and many are seeking a low cost, easy-to-use system to better sort and summarize information for management purposes. In many households, women are the primary record-keepers. For 15 years, the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service has been offering “hands on” computer workshops teaching people how to use Quicken for farm financial record-keeping. We demonstrate how to adopt Quicken, a popular and inexpensive personal financial record keeping package, for farm and ranch use.

Resource materials were recently featured in Beef magazine. On our website, http://www.agecon.okstate.edu/quicken, a step-by-step manual is posted along with answers to Frequently Asked Questions and quarterly newsletters. Short video and audio components allow viewers to see software applications just as they might in a “hands on” workshop. The content is segmented to allow viewers to focus on items relevant to them. Through the website, users can access a full complement of timely educational resources 24/7 regardless of where they are in the world. In addition, users can access content at their convenience and review them as many times as desired.

Having computerized financial records simplifies tax preparation and allows producers to more easily sort and summarize information to support decisions. Producers who have participated in workshops indicate that they gain new skills as well as confidence in using the computer in their business, that they have improved farm financial records, make better farm management decisions, and generate tax reports more easily. Some indicated a substantial savings in tax preparation costs.

Materials
Quicken 2008 for Farm Financial Records and New Educational Resources
Retirement and Estate Planning for Farm Women
30 Minute Breakouts
Ruth Hambleton, rhamblet@uiuc.edu
University of Illinois Extension
http://www.farmdoc.uiuc.edu

Retirement and Estate Planning for Farm Women is a single day six-hour program designed to meet specific needs of women as they approach retirement years and their time for transition planning. While many excellent retirement and transition programs address the nuts and bolts of funding retirement years, there is further need for women to understand managing farm assets in retirement years that they may inherit from their spouses or a woman´s family farm. Farm women also tend to be the central communicator for all kinds of issues that arise in the transition and estate planning process. Sometimes a woman who has dedicated her life to the farm operation discovers she is totally excluded from an estate plan. Other times a woman is caught between families and between generations. Through formal presentation and group interaction, this program addresses basic issues of retirement and estate planning, and helps women sort out priorities and their roles in these important decisions. Women who attended this program reported changes in attitudes and behavior. One woman hired a professional counselor to help her and her husband´s family deal with difficult estate issues. Other women reported taking action to review insurance policies and wills. Instructors are a mix of educators, attorneys, insurance providers and Certified Financial Planners. Retirement and Estate Planning for Farm Women, in its third year, is a second tier program for Annie’s Project—Education for Farm Women.
Materials
Retirement and Estate Planning for Farm Women
South Dakota Annie´s Project - Meeting the Needs
30 Minute Breakouts
Stacy Hadrick, hadrick.stacy@ces.sdstate.edu
SDSU Cooperative Extension Service

Agriculture of today is not your mother´s agriculture. It is a fast paced, technology driven, acronym using, global world that does not slow down for someone to jump in. Women are holding more roles then ever before but still want to be a productive part of their farming and ranching operations. The roles of women in agriculture are challenging and diverse – from business to family. Women are searching for programs that will empower them to ask questions and search for answers and Annie’s project is the perfect program to help women acquire valuable information in the areas of risk management.

The South Dakota Cooperative Extension Service recognized the importance of women in agriculture and the need for more in depth information on risk management topics that affect them including financial, production and human resource risks. Using the Annie’s format, sessions were developed that focused on the specific needs of women in western areas. Classes were held in 7 locations throughout South Dakota to allow for more women to engage in the Annie´s project. The classes were open to all women involved in agribusiness and production. Each session was created to fit the needs of the women within each location since agriculture can range from soybean fields to feedlots to thousands of acres of rangelands in South Dakota. The need to develop curriculum that met the demands of our women were challenging, however, rewarding.


Materials
South Dakota Annie's
Stress and Stress Management
30 Minute Breakouts
Karen Mastronardi, kjm54@cornell.edu
NY FarmNet
http://NY FarmNet.org

Stress can be both positive and negative. Good stress, known as eustress, is critical to a healthy existance. Events such as holidays, weddings, births, etc.are usually associated in this category. Negative stress, or distress, if prolonged can lead to many health problems and even death if not managed. Farming can be a very disstressful occupation particularly when factors which are out of producer control are unfavorable (weather, energy costs, etc.). Learning the signs and symptoms of distress and how to manage stress in one´s life is a critical issue for Women in Agriculture.

Materials
Stress amd Stress Management
Talk, Teach, Touch
30 Minute Breakouts
Troy Hadrick, troyhad@starband.net
Advocates For Agriculture
http://www.advocatesforag.com

Co-Presenters
Stacy Hadrick

Today’s consumers want more direct contact with the producers that grow their food and fiber. You can see this with the growing popularity of farmer’s markets and direct farm sales. Producers need to be able to properly communicate information, not just about their product, but also about the farming and ranching way of life. The risk of not telling the positive story of agriculture is a misinformed public that will influence how agriculture does business. In order to effectively tell the story of agriculture, producers need to “talk, teach and touch” their customers. First, you have to talk to your customer, tell them who you are and what you do. Next, producers must educate consumers about their agricultural products. Finally, the personal touch that you put on the conversation, will leave a lasting impression on the customer.

Studies have shown that consumers believe farm and ranch women are one of the most trustworthy and credible sources of information about agriculture. This is an opportunity that agriculture must take advantage of. We have presented “Talk, Teach and Touch” to several women’s groups in South Dakota and Wyoming. The women who have used our techniques have had great success in starting a conversation with the public and promoting agriculture. The tools that we give to our audiences are very simple, but are a very effective way of promoting agriculture one story at a time.



Materials
Talk, Teach, Touch
Technology to Manage Nitogen Fertilization
30 Minute Breakouts
Brad Tipton, brad.tipton@okstate.edu
OSU Cooperative Extension
http://htto://oces.okstate.edu/canadian

Co-Presenters
none

This breakout session would be a PowerPoint presention to introduce participants to Precision Agriculture and GreenSeeker technology. The intent will not be to get extremely technical throughout the presentation. Rather provide more of a general overview with PPt. slides so that when participants walk away from the session they are familar with terminology, equipment, how to implement N management and have their questions answered by a county educator who had 51 Calibrated RAMP Demonstrations out with cooperating producers last year. Although we will not have the result by this conference, discussion will be given concerning my 10 current On-Farm Demonstrations with producers to show the value of nitrogen management with nitrogen at $500 per ton.

Materials
Technology to Manage Nitrogen Fertilizer
Tour eXtension’s Interactive Web Resources!
30 Minute Breakouts
Judy Branch, judy.branch@uvm.edu
University of Vermont and eXtension
http://www.jbranch.blog.uvm.edu

Co-Presenters
Nancy M. Porter, Clemson University Extension Family Resource Management Specialist, Vice Chair FSA CoP

Participants will learn from a fast moving Internet tour of eXtension; the Cooperative Extension System´s Web resource of current research-based information and educational opportunities. Organized with a slide presentation, the personal finance web site is explored. Other eXtension resources may be covered as time allows. eXtension formally launched at the USDA Ag Outlook Forum in Crystal City, Va., Feb. 21-22, 2008.

Through an educational partnership of more than 70 land grant universities helping Americans improve their lives with access to timely, objective, research-based information and educational opportunities, eXtension´s interactive Web resource, www.extension.org, is customized with links to local Cooperative Extension Web sites. Organized by communities of practice, experts from across the country work together in specific topic areas.

The personal finance portion (www.extension.org/personal_finance)of the eXtension Web site includes learning lessons, calculation tools, nearly 1,000 frequently asked questions, current news, upcoming events and the opportunity for consumers to ask questions and receive answers from extension personal finance experts. Educational materials focused especially for women in agriculture(e.g. Who Will Get Grandpa’s Farm, Retirement Estimator for Farm Families), plus learning tools appropriate for broader audiences (e.g. Legally Secure Your Financial Future, Getting Ready for Estate Planning) will be explored in this tour.

The Financial Security for All community of practice includes more than 180 professionals who provide research-based and unbiased information and learning modules found at www.extension.org/personal_finance. They provide consumers information that can help them make sound financial decisions 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.


Materials
Tour eXtension's Interactive Web Resources
Understanding Cooperative Equity
30 Minute Breakouts
Phil Kenkel, phil.kenkel@okstate.edu
Oklahojma State University

Most farm families are members of one or more cooperatives. Producers patronizing traditional cooperatives often receive equity interests as part of their patronage dividends. Producers participating in new value-added or bio-energy cooperatives may receive equity interests linked with delivery rights and obligations. Some types of cooperative equity are taxable to the producers at the time of issuance, while other types are taxable at the time of conversion to cash. Cooperatives are increasingly converting earnings to unallocated equity which has different property rights and cash flow implications for the producer and the firm. Some cooperatives are experimenting with new equity systems such as the issuance of preferred stock with fixed dividend payments. Many cooperatives are actively working to include more women on their board of directors. Cooperative board members must understand the complexities of cooperative equity from the perspective of both the firm and the member.

Cooperative equity is an important asset for agricultural producers. Unfortunately it is often poorly understood. This breakout session provides an overview of the various categories of cooperative equity. The property rights, cash flow and tax issues associated with these categories are described. Issues involving estate management and intergenerational transfer are also discussed. Equity management issues are discussed from both the perspective of the cooperative member and the cooperative firm. The breakout session is designed for the non-technical audience desiring a better understand of cooperative equity.


Materials
Understanding Cooperative Equity
Women-owned Horse Farms; A Formula for Success.
30 Minute Breakouts
Sandra Hamm, shamm@uark.edu
University of Arkansas
http://sandyhammhorses.com

Co-Presenters


One out of every 63 Americans are involved with horses. Two million people in the U. S. own over 9.2 million horses (American Horse Council Foundation, 2005). Over four million People are involved in the horse industry in one way or another. The economic impact of the horse industry is $39 billion annually. The 2002 census of Agriculture reveals women as the primary operator of over 65 % of all horse farms. Women on a whole are operating a higher number of U. S. farms (USDA/ERS 2006). A business structure, business plan, and the ability to compile accurate records are vital instruments for a successful horse farm. The USDA classifies a farm as “an operation that sells at least $1,000 of agricultural products in a year”. A women-owned horse farm can be counted as a farm if they sell horses and operate like a farm. Training seminars in; farm management accounting, economics of buying versus raising horses to sell, earning additional income by teaching, training and boarding, and the importance of marketing and branding farm products educate women horse farmers with a formula for success. Women primarily operate small acreage farms. Increasing the number of women-owned horse farms fills a growing need for small specialized farming operations and meets the increasing regional and national demand for horse products.
Materials
Women Owned Horse Farms: A Formula for Success
60 Minute Breakouts
Adopting New Technology 101
60 Minute Breakouts
Jeff Reisdorfer, jreisdor@umn.edu
University of Minnesota
http://youdesignit.blogspot.com/

Are you interested in using new computer technologies but feel a little out of your comfort zone?

This fun-filled presentation will break down new technologies in easy to understand terms and how you can utilize them.

-Learn how to set up your own blog in under 10 minutes!

-Find out what a Podcast is and how it could benefit your programs.

-Discover how to put the internet to work for you

...and more!
Materials
Adopting New Technology 101
Communicating Farm Family Values: What´s Important and Who Cares? (FINAL)
60 Minute Breakouts
Margaret Viebrock, viebrock@wsu.edu
Washington State University Extension

Each farming generation has plans for the future generation, but are they realistic? Will the younger generation come home and what if they don’t? Will the farm be managed the same? Will they work from dawn to dusk and listen to advice? Expectations related to decision authority, family security, generational problem solving and daughters coming home to farm offer many dilemmas to ponder. All of these issues can make a difference in prioritizing values and setting goals. An experiential activity will give ideas to help farm families examine their expectations for communicating what’s important as they consider retirement and the transfer of their assets.

County faculty from Washington and Oregon Extension initiated a farm succession planning project in 2006. During the next 2 years, three farm succession planning workshops at 6 different locations were presented. One part of the project was to help families develop the skills to talk to their younger generations. Not only did the older generation need to identify what was important to them, but also be willing to hear what was being said when it didn’t follow their perceived plan. As a result, they learned how to initiate the dialog about their preferred future. They became more proficient with active listening and dealing with discord. Most importantly, they realized that sometimes contemporary ideas can open up new possibilities and meet the needs of both generations.


Materials
Communicating Farm Family Values
Delivering Annie´s Project Electronically
60 Minute Breakouts
Willie Huot, willie.huot@ndsu.edu
NDSU Extension Extension Service

Co-Presenters
Willie Huot, NDSU Extension Service Lori Scharmer, NDSU Extension Service

Since Annie’s Project was launched in North Dakota in January 2006, over 400 women have completed the six week project and another 450 are expected to enroll in 2008. It was offered at five locations during the first year of the project. In 2008, it will be conducted at 23 sites. The primary reason for this rapid growth is because much of the curriculum is delivered via interactive television.

The state coordinator works closely with extension field staff who serve as facilitators, extension specialists who conduct parts of the sessions via interactive television and with the state’s Interactive Video Network administrators to plan, schedule and deliver parts of the sessions electronically. In addition, local experts are identified at all locations to conduct presentations that supplement/reinforce the specialist’s presentations. All sessions focus on the major categories of agricultural risks.

Developing a detailed facilitator manual and a web site, www.ag.ndsu.edu/anniesproject, have been vital communication tools for implementing the project.

By charging a $100.00 registration fee and partnering with a few state wide sponsors, the program is now being delivered without grant funds. This delivery method sharply reduces the costs of the program.

Evaluations reveal that nearly 90% of the participants plan to become more engaged in the business decisions of their farm/ranch operations as a result of completing this project. On a scale of 5 (highest) and 1 (lowest), the average ranking of this project across the state during that past two years has been 4.7.


Materials
Delivering Annie's Project Electronically in ND
Poster- Delivering Annie's Project electronically in ND; Willie Huot
Effective Networking: Tips and Techniques
60 Minute Breakouts
Glenn Muske, glenn.muske@okstate.edu
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service - FCS

Building an effective network can pay-off in so many ways – from knowing who can help with legal and accounting problems or who can mow my lawn to how can I grow my business. Yet most people feel uncomfortable in meeting new people or find that the time spent in various social settings has not lead to a large, helpful group of individuals who can help answer questions, solve problems, or expand their market. The intent of this workshop is to provide some tips and techniques on how you can make your networking efforts be more effective. Be prepared to talk, listen, and take home some helpful hints.

Materials
Effective Networking - Tips and Techniques
Estate and Retirement Planning for Farm Families Website
60 Minute Breakouts
Sharon DeVaney, sdevaney@purdue.edu
Purdue University
http://www.kysu.edu/landgrant/

Co-Presenters
Sharon DeVaney, Purdue University Heather Gray, The Federation of Southern Cooperatives Janie Hipp, USDA-CSREES

A hands-on introduction to the Estate and Retirement Planning for Farm Families website (www.ces.purdue.edu/farmriskmgt) that has been developed by collaborators from Kentucky State University, Purdue University, the University of Arkansas, and the Federation of Southern Cooperatives with funding from the USDA Risk Management Agency Community Outreach Partnership Program. This website has general information for farm families with links to numerous sources of research-based and credible information. Special sections and case studies are devoted to women, Native Americans, and African Americans.
Materials
Web sites_Jan 2008
Retirement and Estate Planning for Farm Families 97-03a
Expanding and Compounding Your Programming Efforts
60 Minute Breakouts
Bob Wells, wellsjb@iastate.edu
Iowa State University Extension
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/annie

Co-Presenters
Ruth Hambleton, University of Illinois Extension Tim Eggers, Iowa State University Extension Mary Sobba, University of Missouri Extension Karisha Devlin, University of Missouri Extension Kelvin Leibold, Iowa State University Extension

This session details steps taken to expand Annie’s Project from a single site to twenty-one states. In 2003, a single Annie’s Project reached 10 participants in Kankakee, Illinois. In 2007, Annie’s Projects were held in seventeen states, with sixty-six sites, and 1650 participants.

Occasionally, as educators, we find a program easily adaptable for similar audiences. These programs have common features: 1) encourages and empowers participants to become better persons, 2) are adaptable to local needs, and 3) provide a continuing network for future education. These programs legitimize the learner’s role and enhance their life by building skills, boosting confidence, purpose and control in business and family environments.

Annie’s Project is such a program. Farm and ranch women have long had educational needs not met by traditional extension programming. Annie’s Project was designed to meet women learner’s needs by utilizing a mix of educators and practitioners with empathy for farm women audiences. Instructors are trained to develop class dynamics and build mentoring relationships within groups. Employing adaptable curriculum, meeting participants educational needs, and strong networks for future educational programs, Annie’s Project has become quite popular.

This session focuses on: 1) formation of a project team, 2) support from peer educators, 3) results-based program success, 4) positive farm press, 5) peer recognition of a quality program, 6) participant and facilitator support programs, and 7) participant recommendations. The discussion also addresses: 1) challenges of financing a growing project, 2) programs developed from lessons learned, and 3) collaboration with other organizations and sponsors.


Materials
Expanding and Compounding Your Efforts
Grain Management Decisions at Harvest
60 Minute Breakouts
Garrett Stoerger, gstoerge@uiuc.edu
University of Illinois
http://www.farmdoc.uiuc.edu/fasttools

Co-Presenters
Paul Ellinger, University of Illinois

This session examines a producer’s method for grain delivery, grain inventory management, and grain storage using excel-based Farm Analysis Solution Tools (FAST). A series of three different tools assist in the decision making process for analyzing grain storage decisions, managing grain inventories for multiple entities, and calculating the economic feasibility of constructing on-farm storage.

The addition of new ethanol plants have made harvest delivery options more abundant. With more options for delivery locations comes more opportunity for additional revenue if delivery decisions are analyzed to determine the most profitable outcome. The first segment of the presentation demonstrates the use of a FAST spreadsheet that performs the necessary calculations to determine the delivery location that yields the highest net return.

Grain inventory management can often times be burdensome, especially to those farmers who maintain leases with multiple landowners and must keep track of grain from the field to the bin. The ability to define a range of crops, grain owners, storage locations, and leasing arrangements can simplify this process considerably. The second segment of the session highlights the use of the FAST grain management tool. Reports can be generated for all bushels owned, stored, contracted, LDP-applied, and so on.

Lastly, high commodity prices are making producers take a long look at building on-farm storage. Current conditions have changed the economics of purchasing grain storage. The final part of the presentation demonstrates a FAST spreadsheet that examines costs associated with construction, maintenance, and financing of the new storage. Moreover, a cost/benefit analysis of on-farm vs. commercial storage is also addressed.

This grain management educational program was presented to a group of farm women at an Annie’s Project session to inform them of the available tools they can use to make harvest-time decisions. FAST CD´s will be provided to all attendees.
Materials
Grain Management Decisions at Harvest
Grain Marketing is Simple (it´s just not easy)...
60 Minute Breakouts
Ed Usset, usset001@umn.edu
Center for Farm Financial Management - University of MN
http://www.cffm.umn.edu

Ed will show you how to apply a common-sense approach to the difficult task of grain marketing.
Grain producers and ag professionals who have interest in grain markets and marketing will learn techniques they can apply in their operations.
Materials
Grain Marketing is Simple
Heart of the Farm - Risk Management Education and Networking Opportunities for Wisconsin Farm Women
60 Minute Breakouts
Joy Kirkpatrick, joy.kirkpatrick@ces.uwex.edu
UW Center for Dairy Profitability
http://www.uwex.edu/ces/heartofthefarm/

Heart of the Farm – Women in Agriculture (HOF) began providing risk management education and networking opportunities to Wisconsin farm women in 2002. Since then HOF has held 24 one-day conferences and reached over 500 women. In addition, HOF provides spin-off workshops to address specific requests of participants. Annie’s Project is also offered to Wisconsin Farm women; sixty-five women have participated in one of eight Annie’s Projects since 2004. Evaluations from the conferences and workshops indicate farm women attend because the topics are pertinent to their farm business; however once there the farm women appreciate the networking opportunities the conferences provide. Participants frequently request more time to network. Participants also request more in-depth education and skill development in regards to risk management topics. Heart of the Farm coordinators strive to improve the conferences and find more ways to provide education and networking opportunities to Wisconsin farm women. In 2007 a HOF newsletter was developed; new facilitated networking sessions were offered; and a pilot Google group for Wisconsin farm women was developed. In early 2008 a new approach to offer in-depth information was offered at two of the HOF one-day conferences. This session will provide an overview of the statistics gathered from the six years of Heart of the Farm evaluations, sample teaching outlines and ice-breakers as methods to facilitate networking. This session will also discuss the opportunities and challenges of starting a Google group for farm women.
Materials
Heart of the Farm 2008 WIA National Conference
Heart of the Farm Balancing Act or is it a 3 ring circus networking activity
Indicators of animal welfare, cow comfort, and its economic impact.
60 Minute Breakouts
Alvaro Garcia, alvaro.garcia@sdstate.edu
South Dakota State University

Co-Presenters
South Dakota State University

Dairy cow comfort is among the main factors that impact animal health, productivity, longevity and profitability of dairy farms. A cow’s productive life has been defined as the number of lactations that it completes before being culled. Oftentimes the main concern of the producer is the daily production per cow or even the production for a given lactation. It is of much more importance to arrive to a compromise between farm profitability and animal welfare where longevity and production per lifetime plays the major role. One must use parameters that measure the interrelationship of the animal with its environment and that are related with an increased stayability in the farm. In a cow that survives a prolonged period of time, fixed and variable costs are diluted which has direct bearing on profitability. These measurements can be based on physiological parameters (biochemical or physical indicators), pathological (lesions, mortality, etc.), environmental (space, terrain, protection from the environment), animal performance (growth, production, and reproduction) and behavior (or how well the animal copes with its environment). All these measurement require are just an inquisitive queen sense of observation and record keeping ability. This presentation analyzes useful practical indicators, that allow an individual to determine the presence of management flaws that negatively impact the interrelationship of the animal with its environment. The economic repercusions that result from not considering the basic bodily and psychogenic needs of the animal as they relate to the genetic characteristics of the breed and its behavior are also being addressed.

Materials
Indicators of animal welfare, cow comfort 1997
Is Marketing a Waste of Time?
60 Minute Breakouts
Kim Anderson, kim.anderson@okstate.edu
Oklahoma State University
http://www.agecon.okstate.edu/anderson

Some producers believe that commodity futures contracts and futures option contracts may be used to increase prices or profits. Research projects conducted at Oklahoma State University, Kansas State University and the University of Illinois all show that commodity futures and futures option contract, over time, do not increase prices or profits. Commodity futures and futures option contracts may be used to manage price risk. However, most producers may not need to use futures and futures option contracts to manage price risk.

Discussions will include how the market determines prices, how profit is earned through marketing, the accuracy of market advisory firms, which management practices may be used to increase profits, proof that most producers sell in the top one-third of the market, and a discussion of the biggest marketing mistake producers make.

Many producers do not know what to expect from their marketing efforts or what bench marks to use to measure market successes and failures. The material presented will help producers establish marketing goals and to design marketing programs that fit their needs and that allows them to direct their energy and efforts in management areas that maximize the odds of higher profits.


Materials
Is Marketing a Waste of Time Powerpoint
Mississippi Women in Agriculture - Annie´s Project
60 Minute Breakouts
Sonia Hancock, womeninag@ext.msstate.edu
Misssissippi State University Extension Service
http://www.msucares.com/womeninag

Co-Presenters
Two farm women, to be named later, who participanted in the seminars.

The objective of the project was to increase the knowledge and skills of farm women in aspects of business management, including risk management. This was accomplished through three three-day regional workshops, one one-day informational meeting, four monthly videoconferences, and streaming videos.

Seminar topics: business plans, estate planning, financial record-keeping, human resources, marketing, risk management, business management, technology security. Lecture speakers, representing Mississippi State University Extension Service, state agencies, commodity organizations, and private industry, were selected for their respected expertise. Lecture and reference materials composed the manual received by each participant.

Seminars were limited to assure individual involvement and attention. Comments from participants included: “I think this is the best decision I ever made,” “plan a day of additional training on that topic,” and “my husband needs to attend this seminar.” Representation was from one acre organic entities to 1000+ acre multi-commodity enterprises.

Monthly video conferences (4) were available at each of the 82 county Extension offices with on-site facilitators and reference materials. Topics were selected by seminar participants and addressed by subject matter specialists.

Streaming video from the seminar presentations and video conferences are accessible from the program website. This allows workshop participants and others to view and reinforce concepts taught. The program website also provides a calendar of events and reference links.

Participants were challenged to commit to developing a strategic financial risk management plan. Selected workshop participants will provide input on needs of potential participants and future training as requested by 90% of participants on the seminar evaluation.



Materials
Mississippi Women in Agriculture - Annie's Project
Risk Management Tools for Women Farmers: Conference and Small Group Mentoring Approaches
60 Minute Breakouts
Patrice Barrentine, pbarrentine@agr.wa.gov
Washington State Department of Agriculture
http://www.agr.wa gov

Co-Presenters


As a current recipient of RMA´s Community Outreach and Assistance Partnership Grant, Washington State Department of Agriculture´s Small Farm Direct Marketing Program is conducting educational outreach to women farmers throughout our state on direct marketing, business and succession planning, energy alternatives for the small farmer, AGR-Lite insurance, value-added production, and state regulations and licenses for farm businesses. We have devised two methods of delivery: 1)agricultural conferences attracting women farmers, and 2)regional, women only, small group mentoring sessions. Come learn about the value of each of these delivery methods and the expected and surprise results of these outreach workshops for women farmers as we walk through our experiences in planning and conducting outreach.
Materials
Not Available
Rural Women Agriculture Leaders
60 Minute Breakouts
Linda Riggins, lindamarylou@yahoo.com
Southwest Georgia Project for Education, Inc.
http://www.SRBWI.com

Members of the Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative for Economic and Social Justice (SRBWI) are middle and low-income African American women, who are from three states. The initiative itself is a three state collaboration, Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia. In Georgia, the women range in age from 32 to 70 and have access to land that they have inherited, purchased or are returning to.
We are very excited about all of our projects. One of the major highlights for the group is our work with pecans.
In Georgia, we have the prefect example of a female who has held on to her roots in agriculture, expand her knowledge and has ventured out into a non-traditional farm life.
For the past five years, Ms. Diane Johnson along with her husband has being renting 125 acre pecan grove in Mitchell County. She has learned the process and practices necessary to ensure a good harvest. She cuts, prune, apply herbicide, cleans her groves, and any other manual labor required. She has employed 2 full time workers year round and 10-15 workers seasonally. The full time workers are paid above the minimum wages and the seasonal workers, (who pick up pecans) make .20 per pound. Would you believe that when we picked up pecans to have money to go to the fair, we were paid .03 a pound. They owe me.
Ms. Johnson has been able to generate a stable market for her pecans. She usually sells them to Nut Tree Inc., who is her highest bidder.

However, the concept of non-tradition for women in agriculture also includes three black females from Smithville, Georgia who operates a Pecan Plant in Leslie, Georgia.
Not only are these women operating in a non-traditional setting, they have formed a coop. This is a perfect example of the NEW WOMAN IN AGRICULTURE. When one speak of value-added production and a group of women working cooperatively it can be seen in the Southern Alternatives Agricultural Cooperatives, Inc. Would you believe that Ms. Johnson is also a member of this Coop.
The ladies who operate the plant take the pecan through the same tedious process of removing the shell, sorting, cleaning and soaking them as any other pecan processing would do. They add-value to their product by removing the shells and selling pecans in halves and pieces, they can even sell the shells. The shells are finely ground into a product called “meals”. The coop also sells pecan candy; this adds more value to pecan halves and pieces by covering them with coatings of chocolate, caramel and sugar & spice and others.
The women, Carrie Thomas, Ruby Hawkins and Gussie Bess have faced many herdals and have overcome many obstacles. There primary obstacle was a lack of money, however by the grace of God, they were able to purchase pecans from Ms. Johnson and sell 30, 000 pounds of them to Equal Exchange, from Mass., they were awarded a grant from the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People and Seed Capital funds from SRBWI. With these funds, they were able to purchase new equipment, repair existing equipment which has enabled them to develop a state-of the art plant and develop a classic brochure, establish a website, take mail orders. They employ at least 12 workers during the season and pay them above minimum wage. If the big boys can do it, these three women from little Smithville, Ga., DOES IT TOO.
These ladies, Diane, Carrie, Gussie, Ruby work on the premises of knowledge, unity and promotion-learning all there is to know about the business of growing, harvesting and processing pecans; working shoulder to shoulder with each other; and promoting a quality product that anyone would be proud of.


Materials
Women In Agricultural
Small Farm Marketing
60 Minute Breakouts
Diane Green, greentree@coldreams.com
Greentree Naturals Certified Organic Farm
http://www.greentreenaturals.com

For today’s small acreage farm to succeed in a very competitive market, the farmer must assess the opportunities of the land, plan the crop, grow it, and then be able to sell it. Diversity is a natural thing to consider when planning a market garden or small acreage crop, and diversity is equally important in planning for sales of your crop, no matter what that crop is. To be a truly sustainable small acreage farm, this means that you have to make money at what you grow. To do this, you have to be able to sell what you grow and receive a premium for it whenever possible.
Who are you selling to? Who is going to buy your produce, herbs, eggs or whatever it is you are planning on producing? It is a very good idea to know who your customer is before you plant! As a small acreage farmer, our survival is keyed to selling what we grow.
Marketing is one of the important keys to a successful farm, and often the toughest part of the survival and sustainability of the small acreage farm. We don’t use mono-cropping in our gardens, why should we use mono-marketing techniques?
At Greentree Naturals, 2008 is our eighteenth year of selling at the local farmers market and to high-end restaurants. We have a 25 family CSA, and hold on-farm workshops and special events as well as a successful apprenticeship program accredited with University of Idaho and Washington State University.
Materials
Small Farm Marketing with Diane Green Greentree Naturals Sandpoint Idaho
SMALL FARM MARKETING OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION
Social Change through Women in Agriculture
60 Minute Breakouts
Claire Morenon, claire@buylocalfood.com
CISA (Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture)
http://www.buylocalfood.com

Through our Women in Agriculture Network, CISA (Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture) has been coordinating technical assistance workshops and linking women farmers in Western Massachusetts since 2005. Workshop topics have covered such diverse topics as avoiding injury on the farm, marketing techniques, and retirement and succession planning. As the program has matured, many questions about the impact of our work have continually resurfaced. For example, how do you talk about women in agriculture to the press and the general public without conjuring up outdated stereotypes? How do you gear a technical assistance program towards a specific group without reinforcing too narrow a view of the work they do? How do you build a community that allows space for the varying roles that women fill in their families and businesses? In this presentation, I will give an overview of CISA’s work and the successes and challenges we’ve seen through our Women in Agriculture Program. I will also lead a discussion on thinking about and managing the social change impact of such a program.

Materials
CISA's Pioneer Valley Women in Agriculture Network
These Aren’t Your Fathers Goats, A Look at the Past, Present and Future of the U.S. Meat Goat Industry
60 Minute Breakouts
James Jones, jj.jones@okstate.edu
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service

The meat goat industry has become a rapidly expanding agricultural enterprise in the U.S. Increasing demand from ethnic groups and popularity as a youth livestock project has caused meat goat numbers to increase to 2.4 million head in the U.S. in 2007. It is estimated that 48.4 million pounds of goat meat is consumed in the U.S. and fifty percent of that consumption is imported from Australia, New Zealand and other parts of the world.

The meat goat industry faces many challenges. The lack of information about consumer’s preferences, retail demand, and infrastructure are just a few. Very little is known about consumer’s preferences towards cuts of meat, size of cuts, quantity desired, and age of product. There are certain holidays and times of the year where goat meat is the preferred protein source, but each holiday has different criteria as to the size and type of goat. This makes producing and marketing goats a challenge. Also, not much is known about goat consumption between holidays.

A majority of the meat goat production 72% occurs in the southern U.S. Texas has the most goats with 1.09 million head followed by Tennessee with 117,000 head. At the same time almost 50% of meat goat slaughter occurs in the Northeast part of the U.S. New Jersey leads the way with 37% of U.S.D.A. inspected slaughter. This distance between production and consumption leads to some interesting challenges determining market channels, pricing and production time lags.

Meat goat production can be a viable agricultural enterprise. Just like any other enterprise producers need to evaluate his/her management and marketing abilities and possibilities before entering a new operation.


Materials
These Aren’t Your Fathers Goats, A Look at the Past, Present and Future of the U.S. Meat Goat Industry
Virginia Regional Market Analysis and Economic Outlook Seminars utilizing the Internet as an interactive delivery system.
60 Minute Breakouts
Michael Roberts, mrob@vt.edu
Virginia Cooperative Extension
http://offices.ext.vt.edu/view.cfm?webname=prince.george

This project was the second of four sustainable outlook projects designed to deliver up-to-date economic outlook information to producers, educators, and other agricultural influencers. Project dates for this series of seminars will be January 22 - February 1, 2008. Virginia Cooperative Extension has partnered with extension educators from nine land grant Universities, the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Virginia, public entities, lending institutions, and various agribusiness input suppliers to engage producers, extension educators, and agricultural influencers in six comprehensive economic outlook seminars.

Increasing ethanol and biodiesel demand factors, large-fund commodity trading activities, increasing input costs for producers have producers, extension educators and agricultural community influencers in Virginia and neighboring states looking for ways to increase agricultural viability that will enable rural areas to prosper. This second series of regional economic outlook conferences will utilize the internet and or other interactive video tools to leverage limited educational resources by engaging participants in interactive presentations and discussions pertaining to timely and relevant marketing and price risk management information. Information presented will allow participants to make sound price risk and marketing decisions. Survey data and meeting experiences from the current project have shown that many producers, even those considered non-traditional, are willing and able to utilize distance learning technology and continue to be eager to learn from the various agricultural economists and other experts scattered across a diverse geographical and agricultural commodity landscape that they would otherwise not have access to.


Materials
Virginia Regional Market Analysis utilizing the Internet as an Interactive Delivery System
Women Managing the Farm: Support Systems for Women in Agriculture
60 Minute Breakouts
Kristy Archuleta, kristy@ksu.edu
Kansas State University
http://www.womenmanagingthefarm.info

Co-Presenters
Charlotte Shoup Olsen, Kansas State University Gladys Barkey Asiedu, Kansas State University

Women in farming and ranching may fill many overlapping roles such as business manager, owner, operator, landlord, laborer, wife and mother, and partner, often but not always in combination with an intergenerational family team. The Women Managing the Farm project was developed to provide education, development, and support for women involved in their many roles. In addition to an annual conference, the support system is now expanding into year round support with specialized listserves devoted to unique roles, and Rural Route Women, an online support network designed to address participants´ concerns and issues.

Materials
Support Systems for Women in Agriculture
90 Minute Breakouts
Helping Women Address Farm Transfer
90 Minute Breakouts
Kathyrn Ruhf, kzruhf@verizon.net
Land For Good
http://www.landforgood.org

More than half the farm operators in the United Sates are over 55. In the next 20 years, 70% of U.S. farmland will change hands, and women could end up owning more than half of those acres. Women play a critical role in how viable the family farm business remains through farm succession and transfer and into the future. Whether they are sole decision-makers, farm partners, or one of several farm heirs, women’s values, judgments and opinions have the potential to shape the future of farm businesses--and the future of U.S. agriculture.

Women have strengths and sensitivities that can and should be brought to bear in the farm transfer process. Yet all too often, they do not participate in plans to transfer the farm as actively as they should or would like. Farm women need information and other resources to confidently participate in and help their families make informed decisions. And, service providers need to better understand women’s unique challenges and learning preferences.

This workshop will focus on farm transfer issues and processes and help women become more informed and empowered. Based on a successful New England project funded by USDA, this workshop will guide service providers to help build the capacity of women to make informed and effective decisions regarding farm succession, transfer and tenure.

The workshop will present an overview of farm succession and transfer. The presenter has over 20 years experience with farm entry and succession. She will share resources, case studies, worksheets and other training materials.


Materials
Helping Women Address Farm Transfer
Save Your Life,a Family and Community from Foodborne Illness
90 Minute Breakouts
Mary Mafuyai-Ekanem, mafuyai@ncat.edu; mafuyai-ekanem@att.net
North Carolina A&T State University
http://www.ag.ncat.edu/

Co-Presenters
Enefiok Ekanem, Research Associate Professor Institute of Agricultural & Environmental Research (IAgER) Box 9610, Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Blvd. Nashville, TN 37209-1561 Patricia Lynch, Associate Professor, Nutrition Family and Consumer Sciences North Carolina A& T State University Celvia E. Stovall, CFCS Associate Administrator North Carolina A&T State University The Cooperative Extension Program Sue Counts, Extension Director Watauga County 971 West King Street Boone, NC 28607

Foodborne illnesses can significantly threaten family health and businesses prosperity. Improper handling of fresh produce can cause sicknesses, hospitalization or death. At-risk groups include pregnant women, children, seniors and others with low immune systems. The goal of this workshop is to enhance participants understanding on how to make informed decisons by reducing their risk of foodborne diseases.

The objective is to share research-based tools and outreach strategies for addressing food safety issues with limited resources and rual residents in Alabama, North Carolina and Tennessee.

Expected outcomes will produce skilled consumers capable of modifying their behavior in reducing their risk-exposures to foodborne diseases.
Materials
NWIA Food Modified Present PPT 4-18-08.pdf
What ‘Ag’ Women Want: organizational tools to manage finances, balance work and family, and reduce stress.
90 Minute Breakouts
Margie P. Memmott, M.S., C.F.C.S., margie.memmott@usu.edu
Utah State University Extension

Co-Presenters
Marilyn K. Albertson, M.S., C.F.C.S. Utah State University Extension

Stress can arise for a variety of reasons and is associated with daily life, the workplace, and family responsibilities. As women in agriculture, we have many roles: business woman, spouse, mother, caregiver, and friend. Finances and organization are major stressors for many individuals, including women in agriculture. So what can we do about it?

As women we need to identify work as well as individual/family needs and goals and plan for them. Our business in agricultures should help us reach our professional as well as personal goals, but that isn´t always the case.

Personal finance guidelines and organizational recommendations provided by Extension Agents at Utah State University can be extremely helpful to women in agriculture as they work towards a successful business in agriculture and positive personal/family life.

Shared in this workshop will be ideas to create success, balance and happiness every day. Learn techniques to organize the workplace and home and at the same time maintain balance with work and family. Learn how to use tools to eliminate chaos, prevent clutter and manage stress. Organize your records with the ‘financial information binder’, set financial goals, create savings and spending plans, manage credit, and invest and plan for the future.
Materials
What ‘Ag’ Women Want: Organizational Tools... Handout
What "Ag" Women Want! Organizational Tools...ppt
Women in Blue Jeans: Providing Education, Networking and Support for Rural Women
90 Minute Breakouts
Diana Goldammer, diana@dianagoldammer.com
Women in Blue Jeans, Inc.
http://www.womeninbluejeans.org

Co-Presenters
Women in Blue Jeans Steering Committee member, Dar Engelmeyer

Attend this interactive session to learn about the Women in Blue Jeans conference in Mitchell, South Dakota, and make plans to host a conference in your area.

Women in Blue Jeans is a grass-roots effort that began in 2001 and has hosted an average of 250 women at each annual conference since then. With the support of private sponsorships and government grants, ladies are able to attend for a fraction of the actual production cost.

The conference is organized and produced by volunteers. Members of the steering committee are from many walks of life, including farm partners, an ag banker, county commissioners, a radio news director, and a commodity broker. Speakers are local experts in their fields, so ladies will have continued access to those resources.

From selecting a location and date to generating sponsors to selecting a slate of speakers, we’ve been there and you can learn from our experiences.

The Women in Blue Jeans conference has already been reproduced by a group of like-minded women in Iowa, and interest in the conference keeps growing. Don’t start from scratch when you can learn from a group who can say they’ve ‘been there, done that.’


Materials
Women in Blue Jeans: 2008 Conference Brochure
The Evolving Role of Women in Agriculture: Why It's All So Important
Poster Sessions
Ag Plan
Poster Sessions
Jeff Reisdorfer, jreisdor@umn.edu
University of Minnesota
http://www.cffm.umn.edu

Co-Presenters
Kevin Klair, Dale Nordquist

Ag Plan is an web-based Business Plan development and editing tool. It guides users through the process of creating a business plan with the help of samples, tips and video tutorials.
Materials
Not Available
An Analysis of the Role of Women in Farmland Leasing in the Delta
Poster Sessions
Gregory Ibendahl, ibendahl@agecon.msstate.edu
Mississippi State University

Leasing is an important method of controlling farmland throughout the U.S. While cash leasing is the predominant method of leasing, the percentage of land cash leased vs share leased varies greatly. In the Mississippi Delta, an area of similar soils and grown crops, the use of share leasing is almost non-existent in Mississippi while in Arkansas a large amount of land is share leased. A possible explanation for these leasing differences is the role of women; either from their influence on the farmer tenant side or their role as a landlord.

This poster presents the results of a Delta survey that was used to try and find out why a particular lease type is chosen. In particular, this poster will focus on the role of women in the leasing choice. Many of the questions can be examined from a gender perspective because we asked for the gender of both the tenant and the primary landlord. Thus, all the questions about risk preferences, lease type, communication, and profitability can be examined with gender as a possible factor.

Most of the anticipated results will be a summarization of the data with gender as a subcategory. In addition, regression analysis will include gender as a factor in the model to explain why a particular lease type is chosen. These results should be useful for farmers looking to manage risk as well as landlords leasing land. The more tenants and landlords understand about risk and risk preferences, the more likely they are to arrive a lease that is fair and agreeable to everyone.
Materials
Not Available
Delivering Annie´s Project Electronically
Poster Sessions
Willie Huot, willie.huot@ndsu.edu
NDSU Extension Service, Grand Forks County

Co-Presenters
Willie Huot, NDSU Extension Service Lori Scharmer, NDSU Extension Service

Since Annie’s Project was launched in North Dakota in January 2006, over 400 women have completed the six week project and another 450 are expected to enroll in 2008. It was offered at five locations during the first year of the project. In 2008, it will be conducted at 23 sites. The primary reason this rapid growth has been possible because much of the curriculum is delivered via interactive television.
The state coordinator works closely with extension field staff who serve as facilitators, extension specialists who conduct parts of the sessions via interactive television and with the state’s Interactive Video Network administrators to plan, schedule and deliver parts of the sessions electronically. In addition, local experts are identified at all locations to conduct presentations that supplement/reinforce the specialist’s video conference presentations. All sessions focus on the major categories of agricultural risks.
Creating a website, www.ag.ndsu.edu/anniesproject, and developing a detailed facilitators training manual have been vital communication tools for implementing the project across North Dakota. This year new facilitators are also being provided a mentor who has facilitated the Annie’s Project in past years.
By charging a $100.00 registration fee and partnering with state wide and local sponsors, the program is now being delivered without grant funds. The video conference delivery method sharply reduces the costs of the program.
Evaluations reveal that nearly 90% of the participants plan to become more engaged in the business decisions of their farm/ranch operations as a result of completing this project. On a scale of 5 (highest) and 1 (lowest), the average ranking of this project across the state during that past two years has been 4.7.


Materials
Not Available
Empowering Ohio Farm Women Through Education
Poster Sessions
Julia Woodruff, woodruff.94@osu.edu
Ohio State University Extension
http://ashland.osu.edu

Co-Presenters
Doris Herringshaw, Ohio State University Extension

According to the 2002 Ag Census, there was a 22% increase in the number of women principal operators of farms in Ohio from 1997 to 2002. This accounts for 7660 women operators. While Ohio offers many agricultural programs for farmers, farm women are not usually targeted and many times are intimidated or are an afterthought at meetings. The statistics, current interest and lack of programming for women showed that it was time to start addressing the needs of Ohio women involved in agriculture.

Women in Agriculture conferences and Annie’s Project addressed the issues of family and business communication, financial management, marketing, legal risk, health and wellness, and farm safety. The programs also introduced women to the vast selection of resources available to assist producers to help improve their businesses and families.

From a long running Women in Ag Program, in Wood County an interest was developed to expand educational opportunities that were more in-depth. As a result, farm couple educational tours were planned and conducted and Annie’s Project was piloted in 2006 in two Ohio counties. The programming has benefited over 2,000 women and also brought together private industry and Extension Educators from across program areas and across the state. These efforts have enabled Ohio to become part of a larger Women in Agriculture movement helping to expand our programming efforts.

Evaluations have been conducted to support each of the programs. The results and impacts on farm families will be shared. The results have shown a need for continued educational efforts for this underserved population.


Materials
Empowering Ohio Farm Women Through Education Handout
Emporwering Ohio Women Through Education Poster
eXtension Provides Financial Information at Your Fingertips!
Poster Sessions
Judy Branch, judy.branch@uvm.edu
University of Vermont and eXtension
http://jbranch.blog.uvm.edu/

Co-Presenters
Nancy Porter, Ph.D. ,Vice Chair FSA CoP and Jane Schuchardt, Ph.D., National Program Leader Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, USDA

The personal finance portion (www.extension.org/personal_finance)of the eXtension Web site includes learning lessons, calculation tools, nearly 1,000 frequently asked questions, current news, upcoming events and the opportunity for consumers to ask questions and receive answers from extension personal finance experts. eXtension is the Cooperative Extension System´s Web resource of current research-based information and education. eXtension is organized by communities of practice. Experts from across the country work together in specific topic areas.

The Financial Security for All community of practice includes more than 180 professionals working together to provide and review research-based and unbiased information and learning modules. They provide consumers information that can help them make sound financial decisions 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. These experts have provided an extensive library of ´frequently asked questions´ and volunteer to answer specific consumer questions within 48 hours.

eXtension is an educational partnership of more than 70 land grant universities helping Americans improve their lives with access to timely, objective, research-based information and educational opportunities. eXtension´s interactive Web resource, www.extension.org, is customized with links to local Cooperative Extension Web sites.

A large vertical window shade exhibit for eXtension Personal Finance from the Financial Security for All Community of Practice can stand on a table top or on the floor beside a small table offering handout materials to help Women in Agriculture find and use the website to the fullest advantage.


Materials
Personal_finance.pdf
eXtension Briefing Farm Families Decision
Grain Marketing is Simple (it´s just not easy)
Poster Sessions
Jeff Reisdorfer, jreisdor@umn.edu
Center for Farm Financial Management - University of Minnesota
http://www.cffm.umn.edu/simple

Co-Presenters
Edward Usset

Grain marketing is a serious topic, Ed Usset tackles the issues with relevant information and a bit of fun. This book was written for grain producers and ag professionals who have interest in grain markets and marketing.

Among the topics discussed are:

-How a different approach to marketing can help you find the dime (or more)
-Five common mistakes in the marketing of corn, soybeans and wheat
-How to develop and implement a pre-harvest marketing plan
...and much more!
Materials
Not Available
Moving Forward: Arkansas Women in Agriculture
Poster Sessions
Carrie Hirmer, carriehirmer@yahoo.com
Arkansas Women in Agriculture
http://www.arkansaswomeninag.com

Co-Presenters
Pam Guiling, University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service and Arkansas Women in Agriculture; Jennie Popp, University of Arkansas; and Ronald Rainey, University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service

Arkansas is home to a large poultry industry, a significant cow-calf and cattle ranching community, a row crop region that sustains amoung the country´s most significant export markets, and a thriving fruit and vegetable, organic and sustainable agriculture community. Diverse is the word, and these diversities present unique challenges to those providing educational efforts directed towards Arkansas´ women in agriculture, who make up approximately 28% of the total number of farmers and ranchers in the state. In 2005 a statewide conference to provide a means of supporting and building networks among those women began. The organizing group then transformed into a nonprofit organization with statewide activities and has created and continues to create new partnerships. The most recent is adoption and training to rollout a statewide Annie´s Project effort. The presentation will discuss the history of the organization, the farming/ranching community in the state, the current Annie´s Project work and will provide discussion of the challenges and opportunities in working with an extremely diverse production environment.
Materials
Moving Forward: Arkansas Women in Agriculture - A poster presentation on Arkansas Women in Agriculture, its history, organizational structure, current Annie's Project work and Arkansas agriculture.
Nutrient Management Individual Certification Training
Poster Sessions
Lynette Gelsinger, lynette.gelsinger@pa.nacdnet.net
Lebanon County Conservation District
http://www.lccd.org

Nutrient Management Individual Certification Training is being provided to all interested farmers. Even though the need for a nutrient management plan (NMP) is not new, the values of educating women involved with or managing the farm on a daily basis have not been addressed.

A primary goal of this program is to have females certified as plan writers. They will then be able to write a NMP for their farm and update it as needed. The training and technical assistance provided will make it possible agricultural operations to be in compliance with nutrient management regulations.

There are major benefits to having women, involved in farming operations, write the NMP. For example, the information included in the plan complements the book keeping that most women already maintain. The financial benefit is impossible to estimate since even the simplest plans cost a minimum of $1,000, when written by a private consultant. Too often this expensive packet of paper is then thrown in a filing cabinet and record keeping components are never completed. This is due to the fact that the farmer does not understand the plan, recognize the benefits it provides, and is not educated about the record keeping requirements. All of these issues are eliminated if the woman of the farm understands and helps to implement the plan. Another positive result is improved communication since new discussions will develop among families and/or coworkers about the successes achieved and obstacles overcome on the farm.


Materials
Nutrient Management Individual Certification Training
OSU Meat Goat Education Programs
Poster Sessions
James Jones, jj.jones@okstate.edu
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service

Co-Presenters
Justin McDaniel, Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Dr. Dave Sparks, Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service

The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service has developed three educational programs for producers interested in meat goat production. These programs are Oklahoma Basic Meat Goat Manual, Basic Meat Goat Production Workshop and Oklahoma Meat Goat Boot Camp.

The Oklahoma Basic Meat Goat manual is a comprehensive basic meat goat production manual. This manual covers basic production, management and marketing skills needed to operate a successful meat goat operation. Fifteen chapters cover topics such as breeds of meat goats, fencing, housing, corrals, meat goat selection, bucks and breeding, kidding, nutrition, forages, herd health, marketing, predator control, general herd management, and record keeping.

The Basic Meat Goat Production workshops are a multi-session workshop that teaches basic production, management and marketing skills using the Oklahoma Basic Meat Goat Manual as the core curriculum. Each chapter of the manual is presented as a power point presentation and participants are encouraged to ask questions and participate in the discussion.

The Oklahoma Meat Goat Boot Camp is a three day program that uses a mixture of hands-on activities with classroom exercises. Participants are taught how to do essential herd management techniques and then allowed to perform those techniques on live goats. Techniques include ear tagging, tattooing, castration, aging, hoof trimming, health management, pregnancy testing, fecal egg counts, FAMACHA, forage testing, fencing, and neonatal care. Classroom exercises are used to show producers how to develop business plans, forage plans and balance a feed ration.

For more information about any of these educational programs contact an Oklahoma Cooperative Extension office or visit http://oces.okstate.edu/meatgoat


Materials
Oklahoma Goat Educacation Programs
The National Ag Risk Education Library
Poster Sessions
Jeff Reisdorfer, jreisdor@umn.edu
University of Minnesota - Digital Center for Risk Management Education
http://www.cffm.umn.edu

Co-Presenters
Chris Mikesell, Kevin Klair, Digital Center for Risk Management Education

The National Ag Risk Education Library is a major component of USDA´s Risk Management Education (RME) program. The Library organizes thousands of risk management materials which help producers and agricultural professionals quickly locate information, tools, and assistance on specific risk management topics.
Materials
Not Available
USDA-NRCS Web Soil Survey and Conservation Planning
Poster Sessions
Cheryl Simmons, cheryl.simmons@ftw.usda.gov
USDA-NRCS
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov

Co-Presenters
Cheryl Simmons, Natural Resources Conservation Service

This poster will display the Web Soil Survey as a foundation conservation planning tool. Conservation planning combines the best elements of cooperative conservation to provide new opportunities to improve environmental performance and maintain productivity. Conservation planning is a natural resource problem solving and management process. Special risk management options include drought management plans. The Web Soil Survey is part of the foundation for conservation planning.

Materials
USDA-NRCS Web Soil Survey; http://soils.usda.gov/survey/
Winning the Game
Poster Sessions
Jeff Reisdorfer, jreisdor@umn.edu
University of Minnesota
http://www.cffm.umn.edu

Co-Presenters
Ed Usset, Robert Craven, Wynn Richardson, Center for Farm Financial Management

"Winning the Game" is a series of workshops from the University of Minnesota and the Center for Farm Financial Management. Each workshop features a realistic marketing game, where producers make pricing decisions before or after harvest. The games are fun, but more important is learning a practical approach to marketing that cuts through the fog of market opinions and commentary to help producers make some common sense decisions.
Materials
Not Available
Women´s Risk Management Education-Annie´s Project
Poster Sessions
Bob Wells, wellsjb@iastate.edu
Iowa State University Extension
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/annie

Co-Presenters
Ruth Hambleton-University of Illinois Extension Tim Eggers-Iowa State University Extension Kelvin Leibold-Iowa State University Extension Mary Sobba-University of Missouri Extension Karisha Devlin-University of Missouri Extension

The target audience for Annie’s Project is farm and ranch women involved with the farm business. The commonality of participants is they want to learn more about their farming and ranching operation and want the business to prosper. Each participant comes with a positive attitude, wanting to learn and meet others in similar situations. During the class participants grow as individuals through increased knowledge and resource access. Beyond the classroom, participants continue to increase their knowledge, but they also grow from the mentor/mentee relationships built with peer participants, instructors and practitioners that last for years.

Annie’s Project coordinates educational processes encompassing a practical, broad vision of farm business management. It targets relevant subjects and promotes group dynamics through developing support networks. Annie’s Project concentrates on providing farm management education in five risk management areas: (1) production, (2) marketing, (3) financial, (4) legal and (5) human resources.

A successful Annie’s Project requires a mix of educators, professionals and practitioners with different skill sets, willing to partner for a common cause and communicate formally and informally the goals and outcomes for learners, while harnessing group dynamics that enhance the learning experience.

The poster also documents reasons Annie’s Project has grown from 2003’s ten participant class in Kankakee, Illinois, to today’s twenty one states educating over 2000 participants annually.


Materials
Not Available
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