February 8-9, 2008 at The Hotel Winneshiek, Decorah, Iowa

Allamakee County Extension
21 Allamakee Street
Waukon, IA 52172
NON PROFIT ORG
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
PERMIT NO. 3
WAUKON, IA
February 8-9, 2008 at The Hotel Winneshiek, Decorah, Iowa
Gather with
other rural women
to network and learn
how to add value
to agriculture.
Choose workshop
sessions in farm
marketing, valueadded
agriculture,
and personal
enrichment and
be inspired by
special speakers.
Come for both days,
or register for a
single day. Invite
your neighbors, your
co-workers, and your
relatives to join you.
We look forward to
seeing you in Decorah.
A Conference for Women
Involved in or Affected by
Agriculture
Planning Committee
Mary Brincks, Ossian
Peggy Dierickx, Calmar
Sandra Ehrhardt, Monona
Margaret Elsbernd, Ossian
Barb Exey, Decorah
Kristina Falck, Decorah
Bonnie Lapke, Bellevue
Connie Straw, Cresco
Mary Steen, Cresco
Julie Vulk, Decorah
Teresa Wiemerslage, Waukon
Judy Isaacson, Coggon
Conference Sponsors
Iowa State University Extension
Farm Service Agency
Women, Land & Legacy
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Iowa Farm Bureau Federation
County Farm Bureaus
Allamakee, Clayton, Winneshiek,
Fayette, and Howard Counties
Northeast Iowa Community College
Decorah Area Chamber of Commerce
NE IA Dairy Foundation
NC Risk Management Education Center
Northeast Iowa Food & Farm Coalition
Northeast Iowa Food & Fitness Initiative

Friday, February 8, 2008
Registration & Refreshments 11:30 – 12:30 pm
Welcome, Lunch & Opening Speaker 12:30 pm
Workshop 1 (select one) 2:00 – 3:15 pm
A. Planning for a Successful Specialty Farm Business, Penny Brown Huber
The focus is on the business-side of things! Learn how to conduct your market research for
your new or current specialty farm business. Then hear from a farmer who has seen what
planning can do to build a successful specialty farm business.
B. Organic Production Systems, Harriet Behar, Outreach Coordinator, Midwest Organic & Sustainable
Education Service
Is organic production right for me? Should I diversify my operation? Have you ever wondered where to get information
to help you make these kinds of decisions? Learn what information and valuable resources are available.
C. Grain Marketing — Making Options Simple, Beth Collins, Commodity Broker, VPI Company
Many women have thought that options were too complicated - or they just weren't smart enough to understand them.
Beth will show you that if you can add and subtract, you can understand options.
D. Personalities on the Farm: Show your Colors, Mary Foley, Iowa Farm Bureau
Come and find out what “color” your personality is! We will discuss how finding out about your personality will help you
communicate with family, farm businesses and organizations.
Workshop 2 (select one) 3:30 — 4:45 pm
A. Black Thumb Gardeners
If you are a frustrated gardener who would love to grow your own food but kill every 4-inch potted plant that crosses your
threshold, attend this session to learn about easy plants to grow in any space.
B. Grazing Systems Producer Panel
Grazing systems offer a low-cost way to start farming. Listen as 3 producers tell how they began from scratch & how they
remain profitable on a grass-based system. They will talk about grazing dairy cattle, meat goats, beef cattle & poultry.
C. Grain Marketing — Making Options Simple (continued from Workshop 1)
D. What Not to Wear, Margaret Walter, Owner of Margaret's Clothing
Five-buckle boots are not acceptable town wear. Just because you live on a farm, doesn’t mean you have to look like you
just came from the barn. Learn how to look like a thousand bucks without spending that much.
Social Time — Visit Exhibits — Late Registration 5:00 — 6:00 pm
Supper & Keynote Speakers 6:00 — 7:30 pm
Troy & Stacy Hadrick, The Real Enemies of Agriculture
This couple helps farmers throughout the country tell their story of agriculture and learn who are agriculture’s real enemies.
They have witnessed how just one person telling a positive story can open doors. Graduates of South Dakota State University,
Troy & Stacy ranch on a multi-generational cattle operation in western South Dakota and have three young children. The
Hadrick’s believe PROMOTING agriculture is one of the most important things we can do to shape the future of agriculture.
Workshop 3 (select one) 7:45 — 8:45 pm
A. Marketing for Farmers Markets
Whether you’ve been selling at a farmers’ market for several years or you’ve been thinking about giving it a try, you want
to make sure you know the rules of selling at a market and the best ways to display your product. Learn tips from an experienced
marketer.
B. Health Insurance for Farm Families, Loren Beneke, Farm Bureau Insurance
Farmers & small business owners say the cost of conventional health insurance premiums are killing them. Learn about
HSA packages, an alternative in health coverage for rural families, that make virtually all of health expenses tax deductible.
C. Cook Once, Eat for 2 Weeks, Cindy Baumgartner, ISU Extension Nutrition & Health Specialist
At 4 o’clock do the words, “What’s for dinner?” strike fear into your heart? Find out how spending a little time with planning,
shopping, & preparing food can eliminate stress in your life while saving you money.
D. The Cash Calf, Jenn Bentley, ISU Research Specialist & Calf Manager, NE IA Dairy Foundation Center
What does it take to raise healthy calves? Minimizing death & disease losses saves hundreds of dollars per replacement animal.
Why do some farms continually battle disease and death, while others have no problems? Find out in this workshop.
Remainder of Evening — free for networking and relaxing

Welcome & Registration, 8:00 am Saturday, February 9, 2008
Workshop 4 (select one) 8:00 — 9:00 am
A. Fruit & Vegetable Production, Producer Panel
Local producers will talk about their fruit and vegetable farms. Participants will learn about planting decisions, equipment
needed, on-farm handling and crop marketing.
B. Beginning Dairy Program, Dick Horne NE IA Dairy Foundation
Matching the need for young people to enter dairy farming with the opportunity for them to work alongside a mentor,
build equity, and locate a potential farm site is the task of the Beginning Farmer Program, an initiative between the Dairy
Foundation and the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation
C. Land Management & Leasing, Robert Tigner, ISU Extension Farm Management Specialist
Women own 47% of the farmland in Iowa. Knowing how to best manage your land can be a challenge. This session will
discuss landowner and tenant responsibilities and how to create a lease agreement beneficial to all.
D. New Trends in Quilting, Pine Needles Quilt Shop, Cresco
The Pine Needles Quilt Shop was named one of the top ten quilt shops in North America by American Patchwork & Quilting
magazine in 2004. Come and see some the new trends in the world of quilting.
Workshop 5 (select one) 9:15 — 10:15 am
A. High Tunnel Hoophouse Production, Dr. Hank Tabor, ISU Extension Professor of Horticulture
Planting times of fruits, vegetables, cut flowers and other crops are dictated by Mother Nature. High tunnel hoophouses
offer a way to extend the growing season. They resemble greenhouses, but cost less to erect and operate. Learn what
crops can be grown in this environment and what kind of maintenance and management practices are needed.
B. Agritourism for Your Farm: Chase the Adventure Hunt & Gun Club; The Maize Maze
Dale & Julie Hogenson turned their dairy farm into a Hunt & Gun Club with a barn remodeled for overnight stays, meetings
and parties. The Maize Maze in Elgin attracts hundreds of people each year. Learn how these entrepreneurs turned
farms into tourist destinations!
C. Estate Planning: Passing it on before you pass on, Estate Planning and Professional Advisor Panel
This panel of professionals will present information on how to protect and pass on your inheritance, where to start, and
what resources are available to you.
D. Barn to Town Hair, Jody Niess, Owner of Eclips
Your busy lifestyle doesn’t always allow you the time to look your best. Between husband, kids, career…no wonder your
hair sometimes looks frazzled. Learn about great looking styles that are easy to maintain and ready in a flash!
Workshop 6 (select one) 10:30 — 11:30 am
A. Marketing to Institutions, Kamyar Enshayan, University of Northern Iowa Local Food Project
In 1997, with a grant from the Leopold Center, Dr. Enshayan began working with 3 institutional food buyers to assist them
in buying a greater portion of their food from nearby farms and processors. By 2004, 23 restaurants, retailers & businesses
increased their local food purchases to $465,000. Come and learn about how this project works.
B. Barn Preservation & Barn Quilts, Sherry Gribble, Iowa Barn Foundation and Robin Bostrom, Barn Quilts of Fayette
County
Take a virtual tour of the beautiful barn quilts gracing the Fayette County landscape & see how hundreds of volunteers
worked together to create this attraction. Learn about Iowa Barn Foundation resources available to preserve your barn.
C. Estate Planning: Passing it on before you pass on (continued from Workshop 5)
D. Recording Your Legacy, Patsy Bronner, Farmer and Writer
You are, in one way or another, a woman of the land. Your unique story is worthy of being written down and passed on.
Put a pen to paper to tell your story. You’ll unravel the maze of creating a memoir and discuss good writing skills. You will
be sent home excited and ready to share your legacy.
Lunch & Closing Speaker 11:30 — 1:00 pm
Karen McCaa, Find Your Passion!
Live your life with passion! Finding and pursuing your passion isn’t always easy, but always worth it. If you have
lost your passion or joy, this keynote will help you to find it again. In today’s high stress society it’s easy to get
run down and forget what’s really important. Hear a powerful reminder to never give up on your dreams.
Don’t miss this opportunity to get a shot of energy, motivation and inspiration to lift you up!
Self-Guided Tours Available, 1 — 4 pm
Conference participants will be able to visit local destinations related to agriculture including the Oneota Food Coop, Northeast
Iowa Dairy Foundation and Chase the Adventure Gun Club. More details will be available at the conference!

WAVA: February 8-9, 2008 at The Hotel Winneshiek
Iowa State University and U.S. Department of Agriculture Cooperating. Extension programs are available to all without regard to
sex, age, race, color, national origin, religion, or disability.
Only one registration per form. Duplicate for additional registrations.
□ Please contact me, I would like to purchase this registration as a gift for another person.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Name
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Organization or Farm Name
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Email
Day Phone
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Mailing Address
Evening Phone
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
City State Zip County
Iowa State University requests this information to reregister you in a conference. No one outside the university with the exception of participants in this conference is routinely provide
this information. If you fail to provide the required information, we cannot promise accurate registration (Reference: Iowa Code, Chapter 22:11; Iowa Fair Information Practices Act)
Conference Registration:
Until January 15
Fee
□ One Day Attendance (pick a day below) $45
□ February 8
□ February 9
□ Full Conference (both days included) $60
After January 15
□ Late Registration (one or two days) $75
The registration fee includes all scheduled meals
and refreshments.
Method of Payment
□ Check (Payable to Iowa State University)
□ Credit Card: □ Visa □ MasterCard □ Discover
_______________________________________________
Card Number
_______________________________________________
Exp Date
_______________________________________________
Cardholder Name
_______________________________________________
Signature
Cancellation Policy: A full refund less a $25 processing fee will be granted until February 1. No refunds after February 1.
Workshop Selection
(Please check only one of the four topics per workshop, see brochure for descriptions):
Friday, February 8
Workshops
1: 2:00 pm
2: 3:30 pm
3: 7:45 pm
A: Value-
Added Ag
Saturday, February 9
Workshops
4: 8:00 am
5: 9:15 am
6: 10:30 am
B: Value-
Added Ag
C: Farm
Business
D: Personal
Development
It’s Easy to Register!
Online: www.ucs.iastate.edu/mnet/wava/home.html
By Mail: Registration Department
University Conference Services
Iowa State University
102 Scheman Building
Ames, IA 50011
By Fax: 515.294.6223
□ Please contact me, I have special dietary needs and/or
accommodations for a disability.
Lodging Information:
Reservations can be made at The Hotel Winneshiek
by calling 800-998-4164. For other accommodations,
call the Decorah Chamber of Commerce, 800-463-
4692 or visit www.decoraharea.com
For more Information:
Contact Teresa Wiemerslage, Allamakee County
Extension, 563-568-6345, wiemer@iastate.edu.