By Allison Hogue
6th Annual Women in Ag Conference
The Women in Ag Conference will be taking place this Thursday, April 11th at the Fulford Barn here in Brownfield Texas! The event will start at 10:00 a.m. and last until 3:00 p.m.. Jackie Pate, Terry Co SWCD District Clerk, and Michelle Cooper, SOCOP Education & Outreach Coordinator, collaborated to come up with a meaningful experience that allowed women to gather and network around topics pertaining to their roles on the farm or ranch.
This year is the 6th annual conference, and will be held at Fulford Barn. The idea behind the making of this event was to offer a way for women in agriculture to communicate, learn and share a day together, just like conferences in the field that are often only offered to male producers. The event has been a success for the past six years, and the goal is to keep that going!
This year’s theme is “Women- Cultivating the Future of Ag”, and entails a variety of passionate exhibitors. There will be tales of history, information, and entertainment from the exhibitors listed below:
- Bill Helwig – Yoakum Co District Attorney & Historian will speak on “The Buffalo Soldiers of Terry County” with his presentation titled “Calling the Cavalry”.
- Vanessa Wood – CEO of Ag Women Connect will address “Cultivating Connections” and her work to build a healthy lifestyle.
- Angel Maxwell – Photographer/Homemaker will speak on “Culinary Cultivation – Creating Healthy Options” and talk about homemade bread and fresh milled whole grain flour.
- Linsdey Gibbs – LB Designs is addressing her love of creating unique western-inspired jewelry with “Cultivating Works of Art – Sensational Silversmithing”
- Janna Forbes – Co-CEO of Tex-achio’s Pistachio Company will address her role and the growth of the pistachio industry in West Texas and the US with “Cultivating is Nuts!”
- Tiffany Dowell Lashmet – J.D. Texas AgriLife Extension will bring back her expertise on farm/ranch/family estate planning with tips on ways to keep your family operations. Her talk is “Cultivating Capital- Sound Estate Planning for Ag”.
- Skyler Richardson – SkyGardens founder and flower farmer will address “Cultivating Beautiful Bouquets” and how she turned her “little girl dream” into a “big girl family farm”.
- Lacee Fraze Hoelting – FiberMax Center of Discovery Executive Director will talk about the development of the Kids Space at the center and her role in promoting Ag through her talk “Cultivating the Next Generation”.
- Matt Rush and his wife Katy Rush (returning speaker) – The Gooder Guy, Matt Rush, will talk about his various enterprises including his work in bronze sculpture, public speaking, and now children’s author. Katy will address her role at the Ranching Heritage Center/Cogdell’s on the Ranch and her business “Turquoisology” . . .their talk is entitled “Cultivating Creativity – Bronzes, Books, & Babes’’.
The enthusiasm to cultivate a community of strong women in Terry County is every-present, especially in the Agriculture industry. The Women in Ag Conference is a great way to celebrate that community and learn how to further its existence!
“The Women in Ag Conference & Luncheon offers women an opportunity to engage in a variety of topics ranging from finance, to family, to farm, to faith, to fun. The best thing is you will be surrounded by others who understand the unique challenges of being . . .Women in Ag.” Michelle Cooper wrote.
The event is free and there will be lunch, provided by Birdsong Peanuts! There is excitement surrounding the Women in Ag Conference every year, and this year is no different. If you are interested in attending, there is limited seating, so call Jackie Pate at 806-637-8092 to RSVP.
