Ohio State University (OSU) Extension and Kent State University (KSU) -Tuscarawas Small Business Development Center have collaborated to host the 2014 East Ohio Women in Agriculture Conference. The conference is planned for Friday, March 28, 2014 from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the KSU Tuscarawas Campus Science and Technology Building. All women and young women (high school age) who are interested, involved in, or want to become involved with food, agriculture, natural resources or small business are encouraged to attend.
According to Heather Neikirk, Extension Educator for Agriculture and Natural Resources for OSU Extension in Stark County and a member of the Women in Agriculture Conference Planning Team, “2007 USDA Census data showed that the number of women farm operators is significantly large for our area of Ohio. In fact, Stark, Wayne, Holmes and Ashtabula counties comprise four of the nine counties in the state who had over 600 women farm operators”.
The conference program features a networking fair and twelve breakout sessions focused around the themes of community connections, food and family, business and finance, and make it, grow it, sell it. A special youth session will also be presented by the Ohio FFA Association State Officer Team for young women participants (high school age). Peggy Kirk Hall, Assistant Professor and Director of OSU Extension’s Agricultural & Resource Law Program will serve as the keynote speaker.
Interested individuals can register for the conference on-line at www.regonline.com/womeninageast. Cost of the conference is $55 for adult participants and $30 for students. Conference fee includes conference participation, continental breakfast, lunch and conference handouts. For more information, please contact the Coshocton County OSU Extension office at 740-622-2265. Deadline for registration is Friday, March 14, 2014.
Ohio State University Extension provides research and related educational programs to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis. For more information: http://go.osu.edu/cfaesdiversity.