the cultivator - Farm Women`s Symposium

January 2016
THE CULTIVATOR
2016 Planning &
Advisory Committee
Hello Everyone!
Agnes Talaski
Chairperson
(989) 375-4346
I hope your fall harvests went well. October showed us some terrific weather this
year. When it was cold and rainy, though—it sure was cold and rainy! It seems like
those were the days that we sat out at football games. After fall sports seasons ended, it was ironic that we then had record high temperatures. I don’t think any of us
in Michigan saw a white Christmas this year.
Pam Bristle
Kim Clunis
Louise Courter
Christina Gelder
Ruth Gulvas
Sandy Maynard
Barbara Miller
Brenda Netzley
Sheryl Oswalt
Emelee Rajzer
Beverly Ransler
Debbie Rasmussen
Dawn Schwab
Julie Schwab
Wanda Skinner
Wendy Stein
Karen Uebler
The FWS planning committee met at the Park Place Hotel in Traverse City on October 28th. The staff was friendly and efficient, and I am sure you will enjoy the Park
Place’s location and amenities.
The program for 2016 is packed full of great speakers. Once again Julie and her committee have outdone themselves. Some of you might remember Jolene Brown; she
will be our highlighted speaker this year. Jolene will also be doing a workshop, as
everyone has asked for more interaction, so you will not be sitting all day.
Our tour for Thursday is coming together very well. Committee member, Wendy
Stein has been working with two of our Traverse City ladies, Melinda Lautner and
her daughter Ginger Newman. They are working to put stops together that they are
sure everyone will enjoy.
In response to your comments on Wednesday being a very long day, we have
moved the banquet to Thursday night after the bus tour. We have some special
things planned to mark our 25th anniversary that you won’t want to miss. Please be
sure to watch our Facebook page for more information and updates. I hope you
have enjoyed the highlights of some of our sponsors also; without them FWS could
not function.
Finally, I hope you all had a very Happy Thanksgiving and a
Very Merry Christmas! I hope you were able to spend
some quality time with your family and friends, and enjoy
the reasons for the season.
I hope to see you in Traverse City in March to help celebrate the 25th anniversary of Farm Women’s Symposium.
Agnes
we all feel very passionate about. While our supporters
are critical in providing the funds necessary to keep the
program affordable for attendees, it’s important to
know that our group of unpaid volunteers is responsible for making FWS the success it is today. I am very
proud also to have been a part of this amazing group of
ladies, whose personal growth and professional development is inspiring. Now with our active presence on
Facebook and social media, we have been able to touch
the lives of women across the United States and we’re
seeing life-long friendships grow across state lines.
Founding organizer of FWS
Rebecca Finneran
The History of FWS
The first Farm Women’s Symposium (FWS) was held at
The Park Place Hotel in Traverse City in March of 1992.
In its infancy, FWS was an outreach program created by
MSU Extension in Kent County, with horticulture agent
Rebecca Finneran as the driving force. The initial audience and founding ladies were fruit growers living in
West Michigan. Attendance has ranged from 50 to 150.
Judie Martin of Traverse City was the first appointed
Chairperson in 1995. Trivia fact: my good friend Ellen
Nyblad from Kent City is the only person who has
attended all 24 Symposiums!
I first met Rebecca Finneran in 1995 at a farm trade
show where she inspired me with her enthusiasm for
the program. As a young farm wife with no close friends
involved in farming, I was very excited to attend and
see what the program was all about. I was welcomed
into the group by Mary Nichol; who was a dairy farmer
from Deckerville MI. I was hooked to the point that I
convinced my boss at Farm Credit Services (FCS) to let
me return the following year with some customers.
That partnership between FCS (now Greenstone/FCS)
and FWS was the beginning of what has become a
hugely important scholarship program.
I joined the planning committee in 1996 and have been
involved ever since. In 1998, FWS Treasurer, Barb Zahm
and I completed the paperwork necessary for FWS to
separate from MSU Extension and officially become a
non-profit organization—Extension’s goal was for us to
grow wings and go out on our own. I am very proud of
the quality program that we have cultivated as farm
women—all working as volunteers for an organization
We have done what we can to keep the program
affordable; the registration fee of $180 is cheaper than
it was 20 years ago. Donations cover the speaker fees
and most other expenses; attendees are basically paying for their meals. Scholarships from other groups besides Greenstone have also enabled more to attend.
Unfortunately, what we can’t do is solve daycare and
chore issues created by being gone for a few days. We
know that it’s really hard to leave the farm for three
days. Most of you do very little, if anything, to treat
yourself—you’re always the last on your list. You need
to give your family this opportunity to make things
work without you. Allow your family to give you this gift
of time, so you can return refreshed and ready to tackle
another year. It’s been awesome to be involved long
enough to see some of our active first members returning now that their children are grown, sometimes bringing the next generation with them!
Your experience will be what you make it. Attending is
not just about getting away and being given the chance
to learn and grow as women in agriculture—it’s the opportunity to make connections that will improve your
business, and develop and reaffirm friendships of those
who understand life on a farm, who will support you
through the ups and downs of life. FWS can also be a
chance to relax, away from the sometimes frantic and
stressful pace of the farm. Believe me when I say that
members of your planning committee have been
through it all. It’s been said that we seem like a closed
group, but what you are really seeing is a group of ladies who have worked together for a long time on a
cause we are passionate about.
I hope you will make every effort to join us and make
FWS 2016, our 25th anniversary, the biggest and best
ever.
Sheryl
2016 Program Preview
The small group of women who came together 25 years
ago in Traverse City to educate themselves, responding
to media attacks on the apple industry, likely never imagined that all these years later FWS would still be
thriving and continuing to support and educate women
involved with the agriculture industry in our state and
beyond.
Following tradition, the 2016 FWS will begin with information about the area and commodities that are produced in the hosting region. We are fortunate to have
the National Cherry Queen, Danielle Bott welcome us
and tell about her favorite area of Michigan.
The morning program will also include a special “Thank
You” to Greenstone Farm Credit for their years of support. Randy Stec will join us to congratulate FWS on our
25th anniversary and share information on Farm
Credit’s 100th anniversary.
The growing of hops is a rather new and evolving industry in the Traverse City area. Dr. Sirrine of MSU Extension will provide us with information on this agricultural
product and its impact on the Michigan economy.
One of the most requested topics each year has been
on estate planning and farm transitions. For that reason, we have asked Jolene Brown to join us again. Jolene is a farmer, author, professional speaker and a
champion of the people of agriculture. I know you will
enjoy her passion, her humor and the real life stories
that we can all take home to share with our families to
improve our lives and farms. Jolene will begin the
morning with a quick
trip down memory lane
with us as we learn
some valuable lessons
from yesterday’s wit
and wisdom. Join us as
we learn how a positive sense of humor
can better our health
and create positive relationships.
Jolene will then return
in the afternoon with a workshop entitled “Stop the
Fighting on the Way to the Funeral Home”. We all know
of families where siblings have been split apart after
the passing of their parents. This workshop could also
be titled “The Positives of Passing It On” as we will
learn from conversations to contracts, from assump-
tions to clarification, and from complaints to celebrations how we can
open our eyes and
stop fighting after
the passing of a
loved one.
Also joining us on
Wednesday afternoon will be Marji
Guyler-Alaniz….also
known as FarmHer,
with her presentation “FarmHer: A
New Image for Agriculture”. Women
have always been
an important but mostly unseen aspect of agriculture.
FarmHer is building a community for these amazing
women by connecting them in person and online. We
will explore the image and perception of a farmer and
rancher through some of her photographs.
Wednesday’s program will also include Marvin Pichla.
In memory on one of his employees, Jan, who loved
attending FWS, he will speak to us about “The Legacy of
Farming”.
To mix things up a little, we are leaving your Wednesday evening free to mingle and maybe just relax after a
long day+ of travel for some. The banquet will be held
Thursday after the bus tour. In the spirit of a celebratory surprise, we’ll leave the details of the bus tour and
banquet a secret for now.
The program will resume on Friday. After breakfast, we
welcome Dr. Elizabeth Lautner, DVM. Dr. Lautner is the
Director of USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa. She will tell us how she moved
from her beginnings in Traverse City to this very important position with USDA.
We also will have a legislative update from Ray Franz,
State Representative from the Traverse City area.
Kim Bremmer, who comes highly recommended by several past symposium participants, will conclude Friday’s
program with her presentation on “Sharing your Front
Row Seat to Farming”.
Can’t wait to see you there!
Julie
Farm Women’s Symposium
c/o Sheryl Oswalt
16029 S 33rd Street
Vicksburg, MI 49097
Address Service Requested
Plan to join us!
March 9-11th, 2016
Traverse City, Michigan
This year Kim Clunis will be heading up the silent auction. The silent auction has really grown and is a great way for
participants to have fun while contributing to the future success of our association. At times bidding gets a little
competitive, but that's the way we like it!! Last year the silent auction brought in $3,714. If you have a craft or
newly- purchased item that you would like to donate to the auction, please let Kim know so that she can make up a
bid sheet, keep track of what will be coming in and make sure the donor is recognized in our printed materials.
Please email a description of item along with the name and address of donor to Kim at: Kclunis3588@gmail.com.