Ladies in Agriculture Convention to Be Held in Washington, Iowa

WASHINGTON, Iowa – “What is YOUR legacy” is the theme for this year’s Women in Agriculture Conference, to be held at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Washington on March 25.

The event is being hosted by the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Washington County office, along with the Washington County Women in Agriculture Advisory Board.

The goal is to get women of all ages thinking about what they want their legacies to be. Whether looking to transition into agriculture or transition their farms to the next generation, attendees will get valuable information to help them tackle their goals with confidence.

“We are looking forward to our fifth Women in Ag Conference and we’ve got a great lineup of speakers to help attendees think about what they want their legacy to be,” said Rebecca Vittetoe, field agronomist with ISU Extension and Outreach and member of the Washington County Women in Agriculture Advisory Board.

The conference will feature three speakers: Ben Isaacson, general manager of Growthland, and an appraiser; Kitt Tovar Jensen, staff attorney, Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation at Iowa State; and Emma Humphreys, FFA and 4-H member.

Isaacson will start the conference with a session titled “Value of Ag Real Estate as Part of your Portfolio,” which will help attendees with decision making related to ownership of land and livestock facilities, and he will provide an overview of ag real estate value.

Following Isaacson, Jensen will be joining to discuss two different topics related to farm transitions. The first is “Legal Tools and Strategies in Farm Succession Planning,” in which she will discuss some of the well-known tools such as wills and trusts and will go over strategies available to farmland owners to help make farm succession planning less of a daunting task.

Jensen’s second session will follow lunch, and is called “Avoiding Pitfalls in Farm Succession Planning.” She will share more about the three main issues that lead to farm estate litigation.

Prior to lunch, Humphreys, a local FFA and 4-H member, will share her speech on “Mental Health in Agriculture.” Humphreys won the Iowa FFA State Prepared Public Speaking contest and placed in the top 16 at the national level with her speech. She touches on historical dates, personal stories and ways to find help. Her speech not only opens the eyes of those on the outside, but also helps farmers to find the courage to share their own stories and the strength to realize it is OK to ask for help.

Registration details

Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. The conference will begin at 9 a.m. and will conclude at 2:15 p.m.

The registration fee is $25; $15 for students. A light breakfast and lunch will be included. The early registration deadline is March 17. Late registrations and walk-in registrations will be accepted based on availability and the registration cost jumps to $35; $25 for students.

For more information or to register, call the ISU Extension and Outreach Washington County office at 319-653-4811 or visit https://go.iastate.edu/FNS2PF.

The conference is being made possible in large part thanks to ISU Extension and Outreach, the Azariah and Martha Foster Heritage Endowment, Hills Bank and other local sponsors.

Shareable photo: Women in Agriculture graphic.