Third annual Women in Agriculture conference held in Washington

The Washington County Extension office was the home of the third annual Women in Agriculture conference where more than 100 women with ties to the trade gathered to learn, try and share new tips.

Rebecca Vittetoe, Field Agronomist at the Washington County Extension explained the conference came about after a donor asked for her donation to be used to fund more programs for women in agriculture. The extension office plans many events throughout the year but this is by far their biggest one.

'That kind of planted the seed and it's grown into what it is today,” she said.

This year four speakers spoke about their own experiences in agriculture. Julie Kenney, the Iowa Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, as well as local producer Erin Brenneman from Brenneman Pork, spoke. The topics are chosen by a panel composed of people throughout the county who help determine the curriculum for the ag program.

Ryan Drollette, Farm Management Specialist at the Washington County Extension office, explained the panel is made up of a diverse group of people who are seeking to teach and keep people informed about the industry.

'It's individuals that farm, it's individuals that are in the ag industry, ag lenders, ag students and extension people,” he said.

Nancy Adrian, Washington County Extension director, said the program is beneficial because it allows for women to come together and ask questions not only from each other but from experts they may not have access to on a daily basis.

'Women are more hands-on in the ag world,” she said. 'Our theme this year is ‘learn it, do it, share it' and so they have the opportunity to learn new things and then put it into practice and it also encourages them to share with others about the industry and educate consumers or other non-farm people about what agriculture is about.”

Erin Brenneman, one of the speakers of the day, is a non-farm person from La Grange Park, Ill., who became hands-on in the industry when she married into the Brenneman family. During her talk, she explained she went through a bit of culture shock moving from the city to the country as she had to adjust to things like waving to people when driving or going 'in town” instead of constantly being in town.

Adrian said having local people like Brenneman who can share their experiences is another benefit to the conference because it allows for reflection and appreciation for what's all around.

'It makes me appreciate more about the area that I live in that we have all these great things going on in our own county and sometimes you don't realize that until you get removed from it, but I find that encouraging,” she said.