Last week I attended the first ever Top Producer’s Executive Women in Agriculture Conference in Chicago. I was asked to participate in the Ag Advocacy panel on Friday afternoon as a CommonGround volunteer. This conference was very informative, a great learning experience and an excellent networking opportunity. I am so glad (honored) to have gotten the opportunity to speak on that panel. I can’t wait to go back next year!
Some info on the conference:
Top Producer presents a new conference filled with business strategies and insights for women of all ages. As the agricultural industry transitions to the next generation of women farm managers and owners, the need to educate women on farm business practices has never been greater.
Executive Women in Agriculture (EWA) is a business seminar designed for women farm managers, marketers and any farm woman interested in honing her skills.This unique event will feature sessions on:
- Marketing Basics
- Crop Insurance
- Succession Planning
- Human Resource Management
- Negotiating Techniques
- Financial Management
- Ag Advocacy
- Networking
Some of the great sessions were:
- Tips for Surviving in the New Era of Agriculture by Jill Eberhart
- Women in Agribusiness-Success Stories by Celeste Settrini, Pam Johnson, and Christine Hamilton
- Women in Ag Leadership: Having a Seat at the Table by Pam Johnson and Vanessa Kummer
- Tax Tips and Pitfalls by Paul Neiffer, CPA
- Social Media 101 by Anna-Lisa Giannini and Libby Hall
- A View from the Executive Suite-Careers in Agriculture by Alyson Emanuel
- Financial Documentation-What you Need and What to Throw Away by Ruth Fleck Hambleton
- Ag Advocacy-Why We Do What We Do by Pam Fretwell, Gayle Anderson, Kristin Weeks Duncanson, and Sara Ross
The next EWA Conference will be held on November 29-30, 2012 in Chicago. Hope to see you there!
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My sister Megan went to Chicago with me last week. Our other sister Morgan was also suppose to go, but she couldn’t at the last minute. We were planning on doing some Christmas shopping, sightseeing and hanging out with family that lives near by. We had a lot of fun! Below are some pictures from our trip and the restaurants that we ate at and highly recommend!
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| The view from our hotel room at the Holiday Inn Mart Plaza |
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| Sears (Willis) Tower |
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| The “Corn Cob” Towers |
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| Chicago Skyline |
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| Night view from our hotel room |
We ate at three great restaurants while in Chicago: Dos Diablos (Mexican), Dinotto (Italian), and Sunda (sushi). They were all fantastic and we will definitely go back the next time we are in town!
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| Waygu and Lobster Roll at Sunda |
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| Shrimp Wonton Special at Sunda |
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| My sister Megan, me and our cousin Bridgette (who we have seen since the fall of 1995) |
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| I-80 in Iowa |
It was about 40 degrees in Chicago and a little rainy when we left on Sunday morning, but as we drove west on I-80 through Iowa the ground became covered in snow and the temperatures began to drop. By the time we got to my house it was below 20 and we had 3 inches of snow on the ground! It was so pretty! Thanks for going with me to Chicago Megan! Hopefully Morgan can go with us next year!
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