Four Women Managing Farmland Forums and Annie’s Project 20th Anniversary Celebrations will be offered across the state the first week of September. Cass County Extension will host the Southwest Iowa location on Sept. 3 in Atlantic. Other dates and locations include Sept. 4 in Iowa City, Sept. 5 in West Union and Sept. 6 in Storm Lake. All events are FREE to attend and feature a complimentary meal and full day of education. Pre-registration is required for meals and materials.

Targeted to any women involved in the agriculture industry, these one-day regional forums are a valuable opportunity to refresh your conservation, leasing and estate management skills while networking with other women in agriculture. Topics will include soil erosion and water management, landowner responsibilities and the economics of farmland, as well as trusts, taxes and succession planning.

Women of all ages make important decisions about land leasing, conservation practices and transition and estate plans. The forums are designed to help attendees meet their long-term farmland management goals. By combining strategies, women can create equitable farmland leasing, adoption of conservation practices and efficiencies in transitions to next generation farmers.

Well over 3,000 Iowa women have completed Annie’s Project or Annie’s Inspired multi-session farm management courses since 2004. Nearly 1,000 women participated in Women in Ag Leadership conferences since 2017. The changes these women made not only benefited their families, farms, and agribusinesses, but also contributed to a stronger Iowa agricultural system through financially stable businesses, improved conservation practices and closer community networks.

The forums are a thank-you to all those who made Annie’s Project a successful program in Iowa and a welcome to all those who haven’t yet participated. Over the noon hour, there will be a pictorial slide show celebrating and honoring the contributions and milestones of Iowa women in agriculture over the past twenty years.

Did you know …

• The number of Iowa women farmers counted in the USDA Census of Agriculture increased from 27,258 in 2002, to 50,263 in 2022?
• The percentage of women enrolled in Iowa State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences increased from 43% in Fall 2003, to 59% in Fall 2023?

Each regional forum will be slightly different. Doors for the Cass County event on September 3 open at 9:30 AM. We will start our morning with refreshments, time for networking, and resource tables for participants to visit while they connect. Over the lunch hour we will celebrate 20 years of Annie’s Project and Women in Ag programming in Iowa. Wrap up the day with fun door prize giveaways and leave refreshed with new information and new connections in ag!

Registration is free and required so that everyone has a chair and a lunch. Local agendas and online registration can be found at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/womeninag.  Sign up today and save your seat at this fun and informational event to celebrate and connect local women in ag!

This program is financially supported by a USDA NIFA Critical Agriculture Research and Education grant (2021-68008-34180) and a Farm Credit Services of America gift through the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Women in Ag program.