Nebraska Women in Agriculture is designed to assist women in their agricultural business. The Department of Agricultural Economics recognizes the vital role that women play in the agricultural industry and is committed to bringing Nebraska ag women relevant management education. Whether that information be business or family focused we strive to provide women the knowledge they need to make informed decisions.

History of Nebraska Women in Agriculture

wia founders photo.Women in Agriculture evolved in 1985 from an idea and prayer. Jane Green and Deb Rood spent a winter presenting Managing for Tomorrow, a program for ag couples, when they noticed that women were eager students who wanted to learn more about management. Out of that came the idea for a farm and ranch management conference targeted toward women. That's when the prayer began. Deb Rood, Jane Green, Larry Bitney, Glennis McClure, and Pat Parmley combined their talents and passion for agriculture to create the first Women in Agriculture conference.

The first conference hosted ten workshops covering the topics of record keeping, selecting a lawyer, family communication, family finances, family wellness, marketing, financial statements, personality strengths, entering the job market, and home based businesses. They thought the conference would be successful if 75 women attended. Instead it had more than 200 ag women. Since that time Women in Ag has continued to grow and now approximately 275 women attend annually. The conference continues to be built on that same idea and prayer today.

The Women in Agriculture conference was the groundbreaking program recognizing the management role women play in their operations. From that program has come the Women in Ag Marketing Curriculum (1998), Decisions Now, Returning to the Farm, Marketing Blue Print, Risk Management Clubs, and various one day marketing workshops.

MISSION

To provide unbiased, research based risk management education to female agriculture operators, consultants, landowners, service providers, and value added business owners in Nebraska.

COMMITMENT

The Women in Agriculture program is committed to providing educational opportunities for all Nebraska women interested in developing management skills in every facet of agriculture by providing leadership, learning experiences, support, and networking avenues to empower women to compete and survive in this challenging and complex industry.