MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — There’s a growing movement in West Virginia, and at the forefront are females who are breaking out of typical gender roles.
They’re women who own farms and manage all aspects of an agricultural operation.
The West Virginia University Extension Service’s Women in Agriculture team wants to help these female farmers grow their ranks, increase profitability, build business relationships and refine their own operations with the West Virginia Women in Agriculture conference, Oct. 20-21 at Camp Dawson in Kingwood.
Conference
This year’s theme is Stepping Up, a challenge to women to enhance and refine management practices on their farms and take more leadership positions in agriculture organizations across the state.
Participants are encouraged to bring items, such as farm records or soil testing results, to spur discussion and give them tailored advice on the topic that they can take home and implement immediately.
In addition to smaller classes, the conference also boasts a farm tour, networking and business building opportunities and speakers, including Marji Guyler-Alaniz, president and founder of FarmHer, as the keynote speaker.
Organizers noted that risk management is a large part of the program, and specific sessions help women identify and put a plan in place to manage risks in their operation, everything from human resources to marketing and legal considerations to actual agricultural production.
Details
More information and registration for the conference is at extension.wvu.edu/conferences/wia. Scholarships for the conference are available.
Those interested should contact Dee Singh-Knights with WVU Extension at 304-293-7606 or dosingh-knights@mail.wvu.edu.
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