AMES, Iowa—“Lead Like Someone Left the Gate Open” is the theme of the fifth Annual Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Women in Ag Leadership Conference. The event will be held Nov. 29-30 at the Gateway Hotel and Conference Center in Ames.
The conference begins on Monday afternoon at 12:30 p.m. with campus tours. A three-hour, intensive workshop starts at 3 p.m. followed by dinner and networking. The full-day conference on Tuesday begins at 8:30 a.m. and concludes at 4 p.m. Meals and refreshments are included in the registration cost.
Attendees will have the opportunity to get up close and personal with Iowa’s own world-class agricultural speaker, Jolene Brown. She’ll take conference participants through a special leadership journey with three presentations to help build a solid business foundation, while using personal passion and purpose to motivate and celebrate agrarian roots.
The campus tours offer the chance to experience the turfgrass at Jack Trice Stadium, explore a rooftop greenhouse conservatory, discover the world of plant pathology and entomology, or time-travel with a visit to the 1860 Farm House and 2020 Iowa State Creamery.
A panel session will feature three successful entrepreneurs. From northeast Iowa, Lynn Bolin and her family offer farm stay guests a chance to “sleep with the cows.” Kim Andersen and her husband transitioned to organic production and opened Blueberry Bottom to the community in Washington County. Katie Holtz stepped up to the role of vice president in her family’s innovative PigEasy agribusiness, in western Iowa.
The concurrent sessions offer surprising variety. Women can learn how to create more balance in life, land that next leadership role, get more out of social media or innovate crop production and conservation.
This year’s Women Impacting Agriculture honorees will share how they are building businesses and creating community.
Amani Elobeid is the capstone speaker. She’ll share her leadership journey from the University of Khartoum in Sudan to earning her Ph.D. at Iowa State University to receiving an Excellence in Teaching award and advising the Iowa State Agricultural Business Club.
The cost to attend the full conference is $75 for adults and $40 for students. Online registration is now available.
A full conference agenda and other details is available at the ISU Extension and Outreach Women in Ag website.
The conference has been planned with attendee safety in mind. Please follow current CDC guidelines as recommended. Do what is comfortable for you to have the best and most positive conference.
(contributed press release, ISU Extension and Outreach)
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