Agenda 2025

Wednesday, February 12, 2025 (Pre-Conference)

Pre-conference Workshops (optional)

Women in the Middle is a pre-conference session for women who are in the middle of generations, stages of life, holding it all together and (may we say) even possibly struggling with that expanding middle! Join us for an encouraging, fact-filled afternoon of speakers and gentle activity. Speakers will discuss Perimenopause and Menopause, Anxiety & Stress, Moving Well Today and Tomorrow, and Aging Well, including BOTH Taking Care of Yourself and Care Giving. Resource providers will attend, and gifts will be provided to the first 75 who register and attend. Cost: $25

Get Ready for Another Year of Adventure!
We're excited to bring back the Women Managing the Farm tour for the second time, and this year it's even better! Choose from two tour routes—one starting in Hays and the other in starting in Manhattan. Participants can either catch a ride on one of our vans or caravan along for a fun-filled journey exploring Kansas. Each tour will have two tour stops along the route. Don't miss out on this unique chance to connect, explore, and enjoy the best of Kansas on your way to the conference. Each tour is limited to the first 25 participants. Cost: $25

Tour 1: Meet in Hays

Tour Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum (Lindsborg) + Tour Rowantree Farm (Abilene)

Tour 2: Meet in Manhattan

Tour of Museum of Art and Light + Wine tasting and yoga at Liquid Art Winery 

4:30 - 6:00 p.m.

Farm to Table Dinner at A&H Farm, 1374 Collins Ln, Manhattan. Cost: $25

Features a fajita bar with steak, chicken, rice, beans and all the fixings.

Thursday, February 13, 2025

Welcome and Keynote Session -

Kristy Archuleta: "Forging the Future: Protecting Your Family’s Legacy"

Women play essential roles in shaping the future of their family farms by fostering family relationships and well-being. Afterall, the most precious legacy a family can leave to the next generation is strong family relationships. In this session, we will focus on the essential roles women play in “managing the farm,” and how to facilitate meaningful discussions that empower families to talk about difficult topics, even when they are not the primary decision-makers. Key takeaways will include:

1. Understanding the crucial impact of the roles women play in the family farm business.

2. Building and nurturing family relationships to preserve the farm’s legacy for future generations.

3. Developing the courage to engage in challenging conversations, embracing their responsibilities as relationship managers within the family, even if they are not directly involved in managing the farm.

Join us to empower your family with the tools to secure a legacy that reflects your values and aspirations!

Breakout Session 1

Breakout Session 2

LUNCH - 

Carrie Williams: “A Global and Local View of Grain Supply and Demand”

Williams will be walking through the various factors that impact overall grain economics: Transportation, Production, Usage, World Competition, Population, Geopolitics, etc., and breaking down the impact that each of these inputs have on global and local supply and demand.

Break: Visit Vendor and Exhibitors

Networking Reception & Roundtables

1.) Finances on the Farm (McDowell-Tuttle) 
Collaborate with other attendees on resources they use to make the day-to-day accounting and management easier. 
2.) FarmHER/RanchHER™ (Konza Prairie) 
All about connecting with and shining a light on women in agriculture. From your operation to the classroom and even the boardroom, you bring a unique and enthusiastic perspective to the conversation.  
3.) Navigating Multi-Generational Farm Transitions (Flint Hills) 
A unique challenge that farm and ranch families face is securing the legacy through estate planning. Often times, starting that conversation is the hardest part. Join other women to learn how to start the conversation with family, align with a trusted advisor, connect with others going through the same transition.  
4.) Farm Work with Small Children (Kings) 
Learn tips & tricks from other farm and ranch wives on how they have managed the time and attention demand of both your children and operation. 
5.) Work-Life Balance (Alcove) 
Is there such a thing? How others became ok with the imbalance of seasonal demands of the farm, ranch, off-farm jobs. This networking session is geared towards learning from others that work every day to balance the demands of both work and home.   

 BREAK

Breakout Session 3

Free Evening Event: Cards & Crafts​

Flint Hills Discovery Center

Join us Thursday evening for a night of food, drinks, cards, laughter, fellowship and a craft.  

Let's go back to the roots of sitting around the table and playing cards with our neighbors and communities — cards will be available for some friendly games! If you are a card shark, come prepared to teach some of us that are not! 

We are excited to have Janie Dunstan from Randolph, Kansas of Oils and Leather helping to facilitate the craft portion of the night. She is a mother of three and a graphic designer at K-State Research and Extension Department of Communications and Agricultural Education. Demonstrations will be at 6:00 and 7:00 p.m. Activities will be come and go from 6-8:30 p.m. to create a pair of earrings or leather craft. No experience needed. 

A cash bar is available; all other expenses are covered with your registration to Women Managing the Farm.

Friday, February 14, 2025

Breakfast - 

General Session

Who Gets Grandma’s Yellow Pie Plate? - Carol Ann Crouch & Nancy Honig

The Who Gets Grandma's Yellow Pie Plate presentation will help families address common decision-making challenges when passing on non-titled personal possessions, such as family heirlooms and treasures. The presentation addresses the sensitivity of the issues that family might face in trying times. This presentation along with its workbook will help you decide what is fair in your family with practical suggestions and proven strategies using real-life stories.

BREAK

Breakout Session 4

Breakout Session 5

Lunch and Keynote Speaker - 

Matt Rush: Managing the Generations

Matt Rush demystifies the differences in generations in the workplace. Right now, the dynamics in society are experiencing something for the first time—there could be up to five generations working together. This can cause potential problems in the workplace. This program offers tips for working with each generation, and in particular the growing worker pool that aligns with the millennial generation.

“It’s estimated by 2025, there will be 75 million millennial’s in the workplace. By the year 2020, 1 in 3 workers is going to be a millennial.” Rush says, “We’re going to have to get over ourselves and prepare for change.”

Rush advises what is paramount in adjusting to the changing dynamics in the workplace isn’t your perspective but rather your co-worker or employee’s generational perspective. And when studying the mindset of millennial’s, there are some surprising takeaways.