Agenda

Wednesday, February 10

Welcome and Opening Keynote

Planting the Seeds of Greatness

Matt Rush - Motivational speaker, former CEO of the New Mexico Farm Bureau, and founding board member of the American Farm Bureau Foundation of Agricuture

Since the beginning of time, agriculture has understood the necessity of planting seeds in the hope of a harvest. It is who we are, it is what we do. However, times have changed and people in agriculture are no longer viewed as providers. Therefore, if we are going to change that and create a new future, we must begin planting something different. After all, it is easy to look back on the past, it is comfortable to enjoy the present, but we must plan for the future by planting new seeds to carry us forward.

2:30-3:30 pm

Breakout Session 1

• Urban Agriculture and Inner-city Food Deserts
  Donna Pearson McClish, Common Ground Producers and Growers, Inc.
• Tractor and Equipment Maintenance 101
  Jenni Carr - K-State Research and Extension - Harper County
  Before you start that tractor and head to the field there are a few steps you need to take.  Tractor and equipment maintenance can save you down time and dollars in the long run. What should you check before you even start the engine?  Where should you grease before you head down the road with that implement? This session will show you how to check the fluid levels in your equipment, how to properly grease an implement.  You will learn tips for keeping track of when scheduled maintenance needs to be completed and ideas for making your equipment last longer.

Breakout Session 2

• Food for Thought: Women Food and Farm Entrepreneurs Share Their Experiences
  Tameka Peoples, Seed2shirt!
  Angela Bates, Bates Guest House and Lavendar Farm
  Valerie Visser, Fork in the Road
• Stress Free You - Discover how you turn off stress with the flick of a switch
  Matt Rush - Motivational speaker, former CEO of the New Mexico Farm Bureau, and founding board member of the American Farm Bureau Foundation of Agricuture

  Imagine waking up every day with love, joy, peace and a sound mind. All accomplished by turning off your Stress Switches. Stress Switches are the “things” that you have allowed to usher stress into your life. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of common stress switches; many of them are hidden in plain sight. Stress Free You has uncovered these stress switches, and will help you identify them, understand how they have turned stress on in your life, and, most importantly, how you can turn them off and eliminate stress. One of the significant benefits of Stress Free You is that it is not about doing more but doing less and getting amazing results. The mistake most people make is they attempt to do some type of stress relief to lower their stress levels rather than learning how to turn off the stress switches that continually increase their stress. It is like trying to drain your cell phone battery while it is still plugged into the power. Rather than merely providing overly simplistic tips, co-authors Matt Rush and Rich Taylor examine stress from every angle, for a unique and more holistic approach. Their methods for stress reduction are groundbreaking and occasionally controversial and stem from a desire to help others.

Thursday, February 11

1:00-2:00 pm

Keynote Presentation

Prepare for 2021!

Grain and Livestock Outlook and 5 Tips for Being a Great Marketer

Naomi Blohm, Senior Market Advisor, Total Farm Marketing

Break and visit conference sponsors 

2:30-3:30 pm

Breakout Session 3

• Cost of Production and Crop Marketing
  Robin Reid and LaVell Winsor - Department of Agricultural Economics, Kansas State University
  Marketing grain crops has become increasingly challenging amid large fluctuations in commodity markets. Robin Reid, K-State Extension Farm Economist, and LaVell Winsor, K-State Farm Analyst, will discuss how to determine your cost of production as a basis for planting and marketing decisions. They will also discuss strategies for developing and implementing a marketing plan on your operation. This session will be complementary of Naomi Bloom’s Keynote Presentation.

• Family Communication
  Description coming soon.

Break and visit conference sponsors 

Breakout Session 4

• Taking Care of ALL the Generations on the Farm
  Karin Rasmussen and Cassie Ramon - Kansas AgrAbility
  You don’t have to be a tech wizard to benefit from home automation. There are lots of simple, inexpensive solutions that can make a task easier, safer, or save time. Whether you’re concerned about a stay-at-home parent, tracking an active child, monitoring livestock, or automatically light areas of your farm, there are solutions. This session will highlight simple, smart technology that can be used to make a household task easier then provide a farm application using the same technology. Come learn about smart outlets, remote cameras and monitors, smart appliances, automated feeding and watering systems, security systems, apps, and more.

• Healthcare Options in Kansas
  Erin Petersilie, Kansas Farm Bureau
  Health Insurance has become the biggest expense in households today. What are my options? How do I compare? What is right for my family? These are all questions that get asked of us everyday. This session will walk through the options that are currently available in the state of Kansas and give you the foundation to be a good consumer in this part of our lives. 

Friday, February 12

Keynote Presentation

How does the recent election affect agriculture in 2021?

Mary Kay Thatcher - Senior Manager, Federal Government and Industry Relations, Syngenta

Break and visit conference sponsors 

Breakout Session 5

• Planning for Farm Succession
  Roger McEowen, Department of Agricultural Economics, Kansas State University

  This session covers the basic concepts that farm and ranch families should consider when establishing an estate plan for their family businesses. Also addressed will be the “traps” to avoid and how to get the estate planning process started. Consideration of how to treat both “off-farm” and “on-farm” heirs will also be covered.

• Considerations for Livestock Fencing in Kansas
  Cade Rensink, K-State Research and Extension - Central Kansas Extension District
  Rod Schaub,K-State Research and Extension - Frontier Extension District
  Cole Malmberg, CD Fencing, LLC
  With Kansas being a "fence in" state, many landowners and managers are routinely faced with the need to make a capital investment in  fencing.  This session will highlight construction and maintenance considerations that need to be made when looking at the various options to keep livestock in (or out of) a particular place.  The presenters will provide real world experience and working knowledge on both temporary and permanent fencing.  Topics will include, but are not limited to, best practices for construction/repairs, preferred materials/equipment, costs, landlord-tenant-neighbor arrangements, and contractor relationships.

Break and visit conference sponsors 

Breakout Session 6

• Women in Agriculture: Managing Stress, Developing Coping Skills and Cultivating Resilience
  Ann Pitts, K-State Research and Extension - Harvey County
  Brett Melton, K-State Research and Extension - River Valley District
  Brad Dirks, K-State Physician Assistant Program, Kansas State University
  Rebecca McFarland, K-State Research and Extension - Frontier District
  Besides the ordinary stressors of farming, women in agriculture face additional stressors, such as working as a full partner/single owner in the farm business, having full responsibility for home and family matters, and juggling off-farm work. This can be difficult and lead to feelings of frustration, helplessness, depression, and serious health issues. This session will help participants recognize the early warning signs of stress, identify and apply useful coping methods, and identify resources and sources of support. We will also discuss the impact of the pandemic and share information about K-State Research and Extension’s Stress and Resiliency Transdisciplinary Team.

• Direct Marketing Meat and Other Foods in Kansas
  Krista Moore, Meat and Poultry Inspection Program, Kansas Department of Agriculture
  This session will provide information on the regulations for selling meat direct to consumer, as well as an overview of the regulations for selling all food products direct to consumer in Kansas. Participants will learn about the steps needed to safely direct market meat and other food products. Participants will also learn about the resources available through the Kansas Department of Agriculture and Kansas State University Research and Extension to assist in this.  After attending this session, participants will have an understanding of the process to sell meat and other food products direct to consumer in Kansas.