Women Managing the Farm:

Doing it Differently, Focusing on What They Do Best

Blog Post by Deb Ohlde, Central Kansas Corn Crew Representative

Women have been managing the farm forever, but once a year in Kansas they gather at a conference with the same name.  They learn and network on specific management areas that are of keen interest to them.  They can concentrate their efforts in areas that they tend to do better or different than their farming partners. Women also play support roles to those managing the farm. Many of those professionals also attended the conference.

Challenging and many-faceted topics such as succession planning and tenant/land lord negotiation captured the attention of attendees.  Each is unique to the individual operation and often difficult to address.  Honing practical skills such as cash flow analysis, communicating with consumers through social media, and how to identify weeds were popular during breakout sessions.

The conference wrapped up with Amanda Freund, a Connecticut dairy farmer.  She focused on her family’s path to diversification and communication with consumers. Find out more about her farm life at https://www.cabotcheese.coop/freunds-farm and https://cowpots.com You can also follow her adventures on her social media platforms and website.

To be good farm managers in our ever changing environment, you must be a lifetime learner. After attending the WMF conference, agronomist and Kansas corn farmer, Kim Kohls continued her learning at the Kansas Corn Pre-Plant School in Hesston. By her side was with her newest farm hand – her daughter, Karlee, who is not yet one-year old but is already tagging along with her mom to ag meetings and scouting the fields.

“I’m very focused on my daughter right now, but still want to maintain my network of professional colleagues and farmers,” says Kohls. “I really enjoy staying current on industry advancements and growing my network. Karlee loves being in the action and interacting with the world around her. I am excited to share my love of plants and farming with her.”