Women Managing Farmland forums set for September

AMES — Four Women Managing Farmland Forums and Annie’s Project 20th Anniversary Celebrations will be offered across the state the first week of September.

The free events will take place Sept. 3 in Atlantic, Sept. 4 in Iowa City, Sept. 5 in West Union and Sept. 6 in Storm Lake, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The one-day regional forums are valuable opportunities to refresh your conservation, leasing and estate management skills while networking with other women in agriculture.

Topics will include soil erosion and water management, landowner responsibilities and the economics of farmland, as well as trusts, taxes and succession planning.

Women of all ages make important decisions about land leasing, conservation practices and transition and estate plans. The forums are designed to help attendees meet their long-term farmland management goals.

By combining strategies, women can design equitable farmland leasing, adoption of conservation practices and efficiencies in transitions to next generation farmers.

Well over 3,000 Iowa women completed Annie’s Project or Annie’s Inspired multi-session farm management courses since 2004. Nearly 1,000 women have participated in Women in Ag Leadership conferences since 2017.

The changes these women made not only benefited their families, farms and agribusinesses but contributed to a stronger Iowa agricultural system through financially stable businesses, improved conservation practices and closer community networks.

The forums are a thank you to all those who made Annie’s Project a successful program in Iowa and a welcome to all those who haven’t yet participated.

The northeast Iowa forum will feature a tour of Susan Kuennen’s conservation practices and fen beginning at 8:30 a.m. Local farmer Natalie Eick Paino will share her story of opening the gates at Hightail Delivery over the noon hour.

The southeast Iowa forum will feature Rabail Chandio, assistant professor with the ISU Department of Economics and leading researcher for the annual Iowa Land Values Survey.

Ilsa DeWald, Johnson County local food and farm manager at Johnson County Historic Poor Farm, will talk about the power of women and diversity in agriculture.

Registration is required so that everyone has a chair and a lunch. The forums are free.

Local agendas and online registration can be found at extension.iastate.edu/womeninag.

This program is financially supported by a USDA NIFA Critical Agriculture Research and Education grant and a Farm Credit Services of America gift through the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Women in Ag program.