March 3, 2006

Women in Ag to unravel multigenerational farming mysteries

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – It's not uncommon to see two, sometimes three or more, generations working together on a farming operation, but with those different generations come some unique challenges.

This year's Midwest Women in Agriculture conferences March 14-15 in Middlebury, Ind., and March 16-17 in Nashville, Ind., will feature "Generations at Work or at War," a keynote address that covers those challenges.

"We've all seen the farms that have multiple generations working alongside each other with apparent ease. Then there are operations where there's more warring than working," said Mary Ann Lienhart-Cross, a Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service educator. "Jolene Brown, one of our keynote speakers, will talk about how to achieve a compatible working relationship between generations."

Brown, a professional speaker and farmer, also plans to talk about gaining confidence and blazing new trails in agriculture.

"We think Jolene's messages are applicable to every woman in every facet of agriculture," Lienhart-Cross said.

In addition to Brown's presentations, the Midwest Women in Agriculture conferences feature breakout sessions about:

• Commodity outlook.

• International agriculture.

• Updates from the Indiana Department of Agriculture.

• Urban and rural conflict.

• Taking care of your health.

• Estate planning.

• Methamphetamine labs.

This year the event is scheduled for 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.

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 $125. Single-day registration is $100. Registration information also is available online.

Hotel accommodations are not included in the registration fee. Rooms are available at the Essenhaus Inn for the northern conference and the Seasons Conference Center for the southern conference. To contact the Essenhaus Inn, call (800) 455-9471. Reservations for the Seasons Conference Center can be made at (800) 365-7327.

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

Source: Mary Ann Lienhart-Cross, (574) 533-0554, lienhart@purdue.edu

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

Note to Journalists: Media are welcome to attend this event free of charge. To register, contact Mary Ann Lienhart-Cross at (574) 533-0554.

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