Women in Agriculture event features new topics, new location

As part of the Midwest Women in Agriculture Conference, Fred Whitford, coordinator of Purdue Pesticide Programs, will explain how farm families can avoid pesticide exposure to help farmers lower the danger to their families.

This year the conference has expanded to two locations, one in northern Indiana and one in southern Indiana. The northern Indiana conference is scheduled for March 14-15 at the Essenhaus Inn and Conference Center in Middlebury. The southern Indiana event is March 16-17 at The Seasons Conference Center in Nashville. The early registration deadline for both conferences is Feb. 28.

Whitford, who is in the process of compiling data from a University of Minnesota study on farm family exposure to pesticides, said, "For the most part, kids, wives and husbands had very little pesticide exposure, but the sloppier that the husband was handling the chemicals, you could see his exposures just zoom out. Then, kids who helped, if they worked with their dads who didn't treat these things with respect, their exposure shot up."

Whitford's presentations involve hands-on experiments and lively demonstrations, but they also cover serious topics.

"There are certain ages that our children shouldn't be around these chemicals, and there are certain ages that our kids have got to learn what it takes to farm with pesticides," he said. "If, or when, the parents decide to let these kids start using these chemicals, they've got to teach them to respect them because most young people don't worry too much about any risk."

Phil Sutton, a Purdue Extension educator in St. Joseph County and one of the event coordinators, said Whitford's presentation is one that will interest women in agriculture.

"This year's conferences also include talks about international agriculture and health and well-being for the farm family," Sutton said.

While the conference boasts new speakers and sessions, it also features some familiar faces. This year's keynote speakers are Jolene Brown, from West Branch, Iowa, and Bernie Erven, a professor of agriculture, environmental and development economics at Ohio State University. Both have been keynote speakers at past Midwest Women in Agriculture conferences.

"I don't think there's anybody that understands communication on the farm between relatives and employees better than Bernie," Sutton said. "And we're having Jolene back because she did such a great job the first year."

Brown will tackle topics such as gaining confidence, generational differences and changes in agriculture. Erven will talk about running an effective farm business meeting and mastering people skills.

In addition to the keynote addresses, the conference includes breakout sessions that address issues farm women frequently face. These sessions include:

• Commodity outlook
• International agriculture
• Update from the Department of Agriculture
• Urban and rural conflict
• Taking care of your health
• Estate planning
• Meth labs

To register for either conference, contact the Purdue Extension office in Kosciusko County at (574) 372-2340 or (888) EXT-INFO. Registration for the full conference costs $75 prior to Feb. 28 and $125 after that date. Single-day registration rates are $65 before Feb. 28 and $100 afterward. Registration information also is available online.

Hotel accommodations are the participant's responsibility. Rooms are available at a reduced rate at the Essenhaus Inn for the northern conference and The Seasons Conference Center for the southern conference until Feb. 13. To contact the Essenhaus Inn, call (574) 825-9447. Reservations for The Seasons Conference Center can be made at (800) 365-7327.

Writer: Kay Hagen, (765) 494-6682, kjh@purdue.edu

Sources: Phil Sutton, (574), 235-9604, suttonpl@purdue.edu

Fred Whitford, (765) 494-1284, fwhitford@purdue.edu

Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Beth Forbes, forbes@purdue.edu
Agriculture News Page

Note to Journalists: Media registration is available by calling (574) 533-0554.

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