Agenda

Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Pre-conference Workshops (optional)

Introduction to QuickBooks
Time: 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Location: Hilton Garden Inn Conference Center
Cost: $25 (space is limited, pre-registration required)
This hands-on session will introduce participants to QuickBooks as a farm business record keeping program. Participants will receive a printed manual and will work with an example farm to learn how to add bank accounts, loans, vendors and customers as well as enter checks or deposits. Designed for a novice user, participants who complete this session will be ready to begin using QuickBooks for farm bookkeeping. Laptops will be provided for workshop participants.

Advanced QuickBooks
Time: 1:30–4:30 p.m.
Location: Hilton Garden Inn Conference Center
Cost: $25 (space is limited, pre-registration required)
This QuickBooks session is intended for an experienced user who would like to learn more about using QuickBooks to managing their farm business. Participants will use a printed manual and an example farm to better understand accounts payable (bills), accounts receivable (invoices), and tracking inventory of raised or purchased agricultural products. Users should have prior experience with QuickBooks, as this session is not suitable for users new to the program. Laptops will be provided for workshop participants.

Agritourism
Time: 1–5 p.m.
Cost: $25 (includes transportation)

This tour includes stops at Hildebrand Farms Dairy near Junction City and Liquid Art Winery and Estate near Manhattan.

Thursday, February 13, 2020

All sessions will be in the conference center.

8:00 a.m.

Welcome and General Session - Big Basin/Kaw Nation

Map of My Kingdom

A play on farmland transfer by Mary Swander, commissioned by Practical Farmers of Iowa

Who's going to get the farm? And what are they going to do with it? Will your future plans for your land create harmony or strife for your family? Or have you even started to think that far ahead? "Map of My Kingdom," a play commissioned by Practical Farmers of Iowa and written by Iowa's Poet Laureate Mary Swander, tackles the critical issue of land transition. In the drama, Angela Martin, a lawyer and mediator in land transition disputes, shares stories of how farmers and landowners she has worked with over the years approached their land successions. Some families almost came to blows, struggling to resolve the sale or transfer of their land, and dissolving relationships. Others found peacefully rational solutions that focused not only on the viability of the family, but also of the land.

Today, a vast amount of land in the United States is owned by those over 65 years old. Some have made their wishes clear for the future of their property. Others are courting family upheaval by not planning in concrete ways. An age old problem, evident in literature from the Bible to King Lear to Willa Cather, land transition presents hard questions: Who really owns the land? And what is the role of the steward of a property? Can "fair" become "unfair" to one's children?

"Map of My Kingdom" will resonate with those who have been through, or are working through challenging land transfer issues that include division of the land among siblings, to selling out to a neighbor, to attempts to preserve the land's integrity against urban sprawl. The drama will inspire the hesitant and the fearful to start the conversation that cannot wait.

Breakout Session 1

Breakout Session 2

Lunch and General Session - Big Basin/Kaw Nation

Top of Mind (panel presentation)

Moderator: Lance Woodbury, adviser to family-owned and closely-held businesses, including farm businesses

This presentation will bring together top leaders and experts to help rural women gain knowledge and understanding in stressful, challenging environments. Substance abuse, mental health and matters of well-being are the focus for this panel, moderated by Lance Woodbury, who spends his time working with farm and ranch families and closely-held agribusinesses.

Dessert and Visit Vendors/Exhibitors - Conference Center Foyer

Breakout Session 3

Breakout Session 4

Networking Reception and Roundtables - Big Basin/Kaw Nation

Agriculture Partners
A woman who shares equal work, responsibilities, or decision-making on all aspects of the farm operation with her husband or other partner.

Independent Agriculture Producers
A woman who manages the farm largely by herself.

Agriculture Helpers
A woman who participates in agricultural production mainly during the busy times (e.g., harvest, planting, and calving seasons). Main farm activities involve gofering and traditional household chores.

Absentee Landowners
A woman who owns farmland but is not involved in day-to-day farm production activities.

Agriculture Industry Career Women
A woman who works in agriculture indirectly through professional service.

Business Managers
A woman whose main responsibilities are bookkeeping, information gathering, and financial decision-making, but whose husband or family member is the primary operator of the farm.

Dinner on your own or in small groups

Friday, February 14, 2020

Breakfast Buffet available - Conference Center Foyer

General Session - Big Basin/Kaw Nation

Trade's Impact on U.S. Agriculture

Chad Hart, Associate Professor of Economics, Iowa State University

In this presentation, we will explore how international trade impacts the various U.S. agricultural markets and examine the factors shaping global trade flows.  We will discuss the current state of U.S. trade policies and trade agreements, outlining the potential for new future agreements with several trade partners.

Breakout Session 5

Information coming soon

Breakout Session 6

Lunch and Closing Session Speaker - Big Basin/Kaw Nation

The Hero of Your Own Story: The architecture of stories that connect with others

Vance Crowe, Communications Consultant

For nearly a decade agriculture has been implored to “tell your story,” in order to connect with consumers, and yet it seems that the activists against modern farming seem to be more effective at connecting with the people farmers are trying to reach. Is there a pattern, a template, or lessons that could help you become a tangibly better storyteller?

During this talk, communications expert Vance Crowe, will discuss the architecture of stories that connect with people on a deep level. He will share insights into the game plans of the activists and highlight how everyone can learn to tell stories that connect with others. Conference participants will delight in stories of Vance’s experiences as a deckhand on a ship, a returned US Peace Corps Volunteer and his experiences as the Director of Millennial Engagement for Monsanto. From these stories, participants will see how they can construct stories that captivate, inspire and change others.