The risks and opportunities have never been greater in American agriculture. Today’s markets require farmers to implement impeccable farm business practices and stay up to date on the changing managerial landscape. To prepare the nearly 1 million female farmers in the U.S. for the road ahead, Top Producer is proud to offer an event dedicated exclusively to women in agriculture.
This two-day seminar will be held Dec. 3 and 4 at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel in downtown Chicago and will offer women a unique opportunity to hear firsthand from industry experts and network with other like-minded women. Now in its fifth year, Top Producer’s Executive Women in Agriculture Conference continues to feature dynamic keynote speakers and educational breakout sessions, as well as an evening networking reception.
Here are just a few of the must-see speakers:
Beth Ford
Land O’Lakes Group Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Responsible for taking products and services delivered under the Land O’Lakes Dairy Foods, Purina Animal Nutrition and WinField brands from insight to customer delivery in the U.S. and globally. She’ll discuss the integral role women have in agriculture and what’s ahead for the industry.
Mary Shelman
Harvard Business School Agribusiness Program
From her early years working in her father’s farm equipment dealership to a board seat at a global agribusiness company to a decade of industry research, Mary Shelman’s career spans multiple aspects of the agribusiness sector. As an advisor to the Agribusiness Program at Harvard Business School, her focus on the future of global agribusiness makes her a thought leader in how food, feed and fiber intersect with energy, health, the environment and the world’s most pressing issues.
Laura Vanderkam
Author and time management expert
The author of several time management and productivity books, including “I Know How She Does It: How Successful Women Make the Most of Their Time,” “What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast” and “168 Hours.” She will provide key insight on how to balance farm, family and other responsibilities.
Rebecca Crownover
Farmer and author of “Texas Farm Girl”
A single parent to her 8-year-old daughter, farmer by profession and best-selling author, Rebecca Crownover uses her life experiences to inspire children through her writing. From tragedy to triumph, Rebecca leads by example in turning lemons into lemonade.
Polly Dobbs
Dobbs Legal Group Owner and Attorney,
Attorney Polly Dobbs focuses her practice in estate and wealth transfer planning along with business succession planning. Her passion lies with helping family-owned farms achieve a smooth succession. Having grown up on a farm, she understands the unique issues facing farm families and has extensive experience in farm succession planning.
Chris Soules
Soules Farms Co-Owner
Raised on a farm outside of Lamont, Iowa, Chris Soules co-owns the family’s third generation farming operation, Soules Farms, in partnership with parents. Together they farm 5,500 acres of corn and soybeans and turn 20,000 hogs annually through a wean-to-finish operation. With his strong passion for agriculture, he hopes to encourage youth to pursue a career in the industry. He is also a television star from The Bachelor, Dancing with the Stars and Worst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition.
Marji Guyler-Alaniz
FarmHer President and Founder
A lifetime Iowan and lover of photography. Through FarmHer, she updates thee image of agriculture by showing the female side of farming, creating a community amongst women in agriculture and outreach to young women interested in agriculture. Her work has been featured in publications ranging from Smithsonian Magazine and most recently was featured on O the Oprah Magazine.
By: Sarah Schafer
Source: Agweb.com
