Women in Ag Conference Set for March 9

The ninth annual Women in Agriculture and Ag Landowners Regional Conference is scheduled for Friday, March 9, at the Martin Community Center in Marshall, Mo.

In 2011, this popular event drew 300 participants from 29 Missouri counties.

This year’s quilt theme, “Stitching life’s pieces together,” pays homage to women agriculturalists striving to hold everything together, and to the conference’s effort to bring together the “pieces” of farm life through concurrent tracks on farm business management, rural development, family and gardening.

Keynote speaker Sharon Oetting, a Missouri Master Farmer award winner from Concordia, Mo., will inspire attendees in a talk titled “Telling Your Story.”

Luncheon speaker Chris Chinn, who manages production and financial records on her family’s hog farm near Clarence, Mo., will explain how communicating through social media like Facebook and Twitter is a vital part of “Standing up for Agriculture.”

Attendees can mix and match from the four tracks of breakout sessions throughout the day.

“Men shouldn’t let the title of the event put them off,” said Cynthia Crawford, a conference organizer and University of Missouri Extension family financial education specialist. “This outstanding event presents a wealth of information in a fun environment. While the focus of the conference is placed on women agriculturalists, anyone and everyone is invited. Many men have attended in the past, and we look forward to seeing them again at this year's conference.”

Providing musical entertainment will be the Roadkill Clarinet Quintet. The ensemble’s motto is, “If we miss something, we’ll back up and run over it again.”

A light breakfast and first-rate lunch is included with the registration fee. Register by March 1 for $15 or at the door for $18.

All conference details, including how to register, are available on the conference’s website, . You can also follow the latest updates on Facebook.

In addition to Crawford, conference organizers include Parman Green, Rebecca Malter, Becky Plattner, Jared Singer, Nadia Navarrete-Tindall, Allen Voss and Steve Wooden. Organizers represent MU Extension, Lincoln University Cooperative Extension, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

For more information, contact Cynthia Crawford at 660-886-6908.