September 2025 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN 13 of the Managing for Tomorrow program, so Dawson County was a frequent destination for Larry and myself. While driving to Lexington for a workshop, Deb and I began brainstorming about how best to help women take on more managerial roles in their operation. The vision for the Women in Agriculture Conference was simple: It was to be a safe place where women could learn about farm management, financial management, marketing, crop and livestock production, government programs and other topics that may be outside their expertise. Teaching would begin with the basics. All questions were good questions. While teaching was important, equally important was the opportunity to meet and interact with women with similar interests and needs. Sharing life’s stresses were often easier with women from outside their geographical area. Maybe most important, the conference would be a place and time for women to be pampered, where they didn’t have to prepare the meals and could get away from daily tasks. We had some restrictions. The conference had to be compact enough to allow women to attend. We did not want time away from home to be a limiting factor. It had to be affordable. Larry had agreed to pay speaker costs so that registration fees would remain low. The conference had to be at a time of year when women could get there. The initial conferences were held in September, before harvest and often coinciding with Husker Harvest Days. The conference would be held in outstate Nebraska, making it easier for women from western Nebraska to attend. The inaugural Women in Agriculture Conference was held in September 1985 at the Kearney Holiday Inn. Larry, Deb and I did most of the conference planning, but the MFT team, along with other agricultural economics and Extension faculty, provided much of the initial workshop expertise. Their contributions allowed us to keep costs lower. In addition to seeking outside funding, Deb and I also used other tricks to keep costs low and to make the experience more welcoming. We baked quick breads and solicited donations of cheese and milk to fuel breaks between workshops. The initial workshop topics included record keeping, selecting a lawyer, family communication, family finances, family wellness, marketing, financial statements, personality strengths, entering the job market and home-based businesses. It is always hard to predict turnout for new programs, but more than 200 women attended the initial conference. Throughout the years, the conference has moved to its current late-February time slot and has improved in many ways, but it continues to attract women from across the state to learn and grow together. I had the privilege of being a part of Women in Ag until I moved with my husband to Lubbock, Texas, in 1988. Deb continued her full-throttle leadership until her tragic death in 2003. While new leadership was found, her loss from this vital program is still felt today. I still enjoy attending Women in Agriculture conferences. The participants are younger and have more experience and education in agricultural production, but the original mission of giving women a safe place to learn and interact is still as vital as when the conference began. I look forward to watching this program evolve. ~NC~ Deb Rood entertains attendees of the 1985 Women in Agriculture Conference during a style show put on by some of the staff.
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