Risk management series for women returns

A popular series of workshops geared for women in agriculture will return to Iola in January. Registration has opened for the series, sponsored by the Southwind Extension District.

By

Around Town

December 14, 2021 - 8:58 AM

Registration is now open for a four-part series being held in two locations in the Southwind Extension District. Iola and Fort Scott will both be host sites for the “Risk Management Skills for Women in Agriculture” series. The series aims to help farmers and ranchers deal with the uncertainty of fluctuating grain prices and increased input prices. 

As the crop production and forage management agent for the Southwind District, I understand the stress and uncertainties the upcoming growing seasons are bringing. The ever-changing commodity prices and unpredictable weather patterns are already a lot to worry about, but this upcoming growing season brings new levels of uncertainty. As input prices reach record highs, it will cost producers more than ever to raise a crop. Herbicide shortages also threaten to make life harder for the Kansas farmer.

Now, more than ever, I believe a solid management plan is a must-have for producers. The “Risk Management Skills for Kansas in Agriculture” series will give producers invaluable skills when it comes to creating a management plan.

This series will be broken up into four parts, covering topics such as determining the cost of production, utilizing crop insurance, crop marketing plans, and government farm programs. An optional fifth session will also cover similar topics for beef, cow/calf, producers. 

Beginning on January 12, The Southwind Extension office in Iola, and the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team Office in Fort Scott will open their doors for this in-person series. We will be using a combination of hands on activities, broadcasted keynote speakers, and local speakers to give as many opportunities as possible for participants to learn.

 A schedule with topics is as follows, with a more complete schedule to be found on the Ag Manager website. 

Jan. 12 – Local networking; enterprise budgeting

Jan. 19 – Crop insurance; stress and resiliency

Jan. 26 – Crop Marketing; family communication

Feb. 2 – Farm bill programs, special speaker and awards

Feb. 23 – Beef cow/calf enterprise budgeting

Producers may remember a similar series, hosted in Chanute in 2020. The 2020 Women in Agriculture series had nearly 700 participants statewide, and was successful enough in the Southwind Extension District for us to host two sites this year. The series highlights attendance of women producers, but the series is open to, and will benefit all producers, regardless of gender. 

There are two ways to register for this event. You can register online by going to www.AgManager.info and select “Events” at the top of the screen. You can also call the Yates Center Extension Office at 620-625-8620 for help registering

The series costs $50 if registered by Dec. 31 to cover meal and program costs. Registration after Dec. 31 increases to $75. The optional session for cow/calf producers is an additional $10, or $15 if you only want to attend that session. 

The Southwind District is hosting two of the 36 statewide locations. A complete list can be found at the Ag Manager Website. 

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