For more than two decades, women have been networking and educating one another about their professional roles on the farm. An annual event, Women Managing the Farm, will host its 21st event this February.
The group has a committee working on strategic planning and rebranding, soon dubbing the event as Forging the Future.
Longtime attendee and past speaker, Jericho Hammond, said this is to appeal to a wider audience base.
“I don’t think women think of themselves as managers so it defers them from signing up,” she said. “Even though that’s what they’re doing on many different levels. I love the logo the group came up with from a bonnet to baseball hat.” She added that it encompasses different generations and how women work with the farm has changed through generations, but remains important.
Hammond has been attending the event for five years and has spoken during breakout sessions on farm financing and explaining the community bank’s role with farming.
Taking place in Manhattan, she said the event is static because it features many K-State professors or other ag experts who work at the university. This not only helps keep costs down for the event, she said, but allows the event to bring in big-name speakers.
“One of the hurdles and feedback was if there’s weather or they’re traveling across the state, it takes a lot of time,” she said; last year was the first event to offer transportation. The feedback they received prompted planning committees to partner with local Extension Offices to help with transportation. Kansas Travel and Tour joined as well, offering rides with stops at various Kansas landmarks for travelers.
“They met at a local spot and did tours to make it to Manhattan.”
Starting Wednesday evening before the event, attendees can attend a meal and break-out session on a farm-related topic. That kicks off a two-day event full of keynote speakers, small groups, entertainment, meals, networking, and more.
Now part of the planning committee, Hammond’s role is to provide entertainment for Thursday evening. She said the breakout session is “What’s going to happen to Grandma’s pie plate,” inspired her to think of what her grandma did. The group will play cards and dominos, for a touch of nostalgia. In addition, a professional leatherworker will attend, as attendees can choose a leather craft to create.
“It’s just a way to sit around with people, connect, laugh, and fellowship,” she said.
Hammond said Forging the Future is important for women to learn key skills, whether for their farm, business, or other skills that can help with an ag lifestyle, as well as creating the opportunity to meet like-minded people. This is amplified with meal seating, which changes each round. An attendee might be seated with their location, age group, type of ag industry, etc. The connections rotate to help women meet new, like-minded people.
Hammond has been involved with an ag lifestyle since birth. She was raised on a farm. However, she and her spouse, Chad, both work full time: she as a loan officer and information security officer at Union State Bank, and Chad in construction.
“We joke that we both have to keep our full-time jobs because we both want to farm full-time,” she laughed. “So we are equal this way.”
The pair have both cattle and crops, while their teenage son has begun with both avenues as well.
On her job, Hammond said it’s often overlooked how much finance and the community bank plays a role into local agriculture.
“I still get to help farmers, just in a completely different way,” she said. “I love helping people so the information side and helping people fills my cup. It’s a very personal relationship. There’s a lot of trust and hard emotions and hard conversations that transpire.”
She added that attending Forging the Future annually has helped with her personal reach through learning and new connections.
“It’s not going to solve and give you all the answers, but it’s going to give you so many resources of what K-State and businesses have to offer. Then you can use those resources to move forward.”
Another unique point about the event, she said, is not just that it’s an ag event for women, but it’s sponsored by both public and private entity.
“That’s really unique and cool, there’s a big list; very vast,” she said. “It’s the only one in Kansas I know of set up that way.”
The 21st annual Forging the Future (Women Managing the Farm) will take place February 13th and 14th at the Hilton Garden Inn Manhattan.
More event details are available at womenmanagingthefarm.com/
Front Row: Rhonda Lund, Tonya Ackerman, Baylee Wulfkuhle, Jan Carlson, Michelle Rickel, Jericho Hammond, Josey Mestagh. Back Row: Kelsey Wendling, Lori Rogge, Gene Francis, Robin Reid, Marsha Boswell.
