Women Stepping Forward for Agriculture Conference coming to Billings

Press release

People can make plans now to attend the annual Women Stepping Forward for Agriculture Conference at the Big Horn Resort in Billings Sept. 28-30.

This year’s conference is packed with speakers that will deliver information on today’s most relevant topics including putting structure to fundraising, building a business in agriculture, telling your story, calving 101, goal setting to advance your mission, and lots of opportunities for networking.

The Women in Business panel will feature Rachel Ayers, Sweet Cast Anglers; Becky Stahl, Becky’s Berries; Jennifer Webber, Entrepreneurship Collective, LLC, and Landa Uffelman, The Farmers Daughter General Store. Attendees will also hear from farming and ranching couples at different points in their agricultural careers speak about generational differences and how they have moved their operations forward.

Further technical presentations include rapid fire education topics ranging from a year in the life of a beekeeper, beef to school programs, and reimagining a vibrant future for rural Montana to GoatMT, Alzheimer’s warning signs, and a ventenata control project.

A welcome reception will be held Tuesday evening at Liberty & Vine Country Store. Wednesday evening’s activities round out the opportunities to get to know fellow attendees with a calving simulator, social hour, dinner, and BINGO.

Early bird registration is $70 and closes Sept. 3. The discounted hotel rate is $96 through Aug. 31. People can find registration information and a full agenda at womensteppingforward.org. People can also follow on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/womensteppingforward/.

Attendees are encouraged to bring a silent auction item from their local area. Auction proceeds are used to support future conferences.

This conference is a special project of the Billings Community Foundation. A special thank you to the generous sponsors that are helping make this conference happen: Stockman Bank, Bank of Baker, Montana Farm Bureau Federation, Billings Livestock Commission/Northern Livestock, Montana Grain Growers, Northwest Farm Credit Service, Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative, and the Montana Department of Agriculture.