National Farmers Union’s Women’s Conference, Women Making Moves, in Clearwater, Florida, began this weekend! We have one New England member attending: New England Farmers Union staffer Emma Sabella. Travel plans for dairy farmer Allie Bates from Springside Farms in New Vinyard, Maine, were thrown off by the snowstorm and she couldn’t attend.Sabella reports on several sessions she’s attended, including “Tackling Tough Transition Talks” with Shannon Ferrell, Oklahoma State University Associate Professor in the Department of Agriculture Economics.
Scores of women in agriculture attended a talk by Kriss Marion, of Circle M Market Farm and President of the Wisconsin Farmers Union South Central Chapter. Marion presented on “Grassroots Organizing and Coalition Building,” a seminal part of Farmers Union’s work.
Finally, Melissa Miller, National Farmers Union’s Education Coordinator lead a workshop called “Know Your Leadership Style.”
Women have a long and strong history in Farmers Union, and this conference aims to build on that history through education and leadership development. Stay tuned for more from the Women’s Conference in the coming days.