Ag Women’s Day seating still available

The 9th Annual Agricultural Women’s Day will be held Wednesday, June 7 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Faulkton Community Center. The event is hosted by the USDA Farm Service Agency.

Women play a major role on the family farm and/or ranch and are increasingly more involved in the agri-business world. This conference is designed to provide an overview of FSA as well as provide tools and information to help their family farm and  agribusiness succeed.

As of Tuesday, May 30, they have 220 registered but still have room available by calling the Faulkton FSA office, 598-6237 or the Sully County FSAoffice at 258-2613.

This year’s theme is “It’s All Perspective”. Registration is from 8 to 8:55 a.m. with the program ending at 4 p.m.

“We are excited to host Carrie Mess, (Dairy Carrie), who is a farmer, mother, speaker and blogger,” said Dawn Nagel of the FSA office in Onida.

Carrie Mess describes herself as “a cow, cheese, music and beer lover. Toddler mom. Speaker. Leader. Sometimes snarky, always honest. You know those people who wear foam cheese wedges on their head? I’m one of them. Cheesehead-hat-hair is the bane of my existence. I am a proud Wisconsin dairy farmer, a mom and a wife. I say things I shouldn’t say entirely too often. I love cheese and beer. When I die I hope to have pre-written one of those funny obituaries that goes viral.”

The following is from her blog: I never thought I’d be a dairy farmer. I grew up in Madison, Wis., with no real ties to agriculture. I am WAS the average American, generations removed from the farm. Then one day when I was 15 I met a guy…and started dating his friend.

Fast forward several years and more questionable dating choices and I married the guy I met all those years ago. He wasn’t a dairy farmer (at the time) but his parents were. My background was in sales and marketing, but my love of animals drew me to trying out Ag Women’s Day farm life shortly after we got married. It stuck and I found out that I was born to be a caretaker of cows and the land,” she continued.

Today my husband and I farm in partnership with his parents on our 100 cow, 300 acre farm in southern Wisconsin. I am the crazy cow lady of the neighborhood.

In 2011 I started this blog on a whim. I hoped people would read it and…they did. The little hobby blog turned into a thing. Now I am lucky enough to split my time between the farm and traveling all over talking to people about farming and talking to farmers about talking to people about farming.

Just when I thought I had things under control, we had a baby. He’s amazing. I probably won’t sell him on craigslist, although I do think about it from time to time.

Mess has also written for the Huffington Post, The Guardian, and Dairy Herd Management.

Additional speakers include:

• “FSA Today” by Jamie White, SD FSA executive officer.
• “Mastering the Grain Markets” by Elaine Kub, author.
• “Fun Steps” by Cindy Geditz, FSA retiree.
• “Hungry for Truth - Putting it All on the Table to Develop Consumer Trust” by Sarah Tveidt, Communications Director, SD Soybean.
• “Health and Fitness” by NikkiWalters, Team BodyBuilding.com and Clean Eating Parties, LLC.

Following the FSA program, Faulkton Drug and King Insurance Agency will bring you “Wine Tasting”. Registration includes lunch catered by Cheryl Schaefers Catering.

There will be many door prizes and participants get a free registration bag loaded with goodies.

Sponsors include: KGFX 1060 radio, Northern Plains CHS, KOLY AM 1300 radio; Dakota Broadcasting, First State Bank of Roscoe and Bowdle Branch, KABD - FM 107.7 radio; Common Sense Mfg., FFA Alumni, North Central Farmers Elevator, Quoin Financial Bank, ADM, American Bank & Trust, Dacotah Bank, Farm Credit Services, BankWest Insurance, Plains Commerce Bank, King Insurance Agency, Faulkton Drug, Faulk, Potter and Spink Conservation Districts, First State Bank - Warner, Bank of the West, Faulk County Land and Title, Faulkton Business and Professional Assoc., Ipswich State Bank, Heartland State Bank, Brown’s Commodities, Faulkton Grain and Feed, Farm Bureau Insurance - Faulkton.

Article and image courtesy of the Faulk County Record.