This funding was used to enhance the 2024 Nebraska Women in Agriculture Conference, 2024 Herd That! Conference, and support a webinar series focused on NCERMEC key priorities. Over the course of the initiative, which addressed Farm
and Ranch well-being, Weather and Climate Resilience, Business and Enterprise
Management, Land Access and Transition, and Communication, the program provided
targeted education designed to empower female producers. The program fostered a
supportive community, helping women navigate the complexities of agriculture
while promoting economic and environmental sustainability. This initiative has
strengthened networks among women farmers and resource providers, recognizing
the critical role women play in the viability of Nebraska agriculture.
The primary audience for this project was female producers. The
program reached 590 unique participants (based on email addresses). Forty-seven percent of these participants identified as female, 6% as male, 1% as non-binary, and 46% preferred not to respond or were not asked
to identify their gender.
The 2024 Nebraska Women in Agriculture Conference exceeded the
reach expectation by providing 12+ hours of Risk management education to
373 participants. Additionally, funds were available to support a second in person event, the 2024 Herd That! Conference (40 participants). Half of our interactions were virtual. Although we did
not meet our goal of 10 webinars, the 9 webinars we hosted exceeded participation expectations,
reaching 291 attendees, averaging 32 participants per
webinar (expected 20 per webinar). These webinars provided at least 1 hour of risk
management education per session. As of Oct. 15, 2024, recordings of these
webinars have been viewed 702 times.
This project exceeded the number of estimated producers who
would accomplish the proposed outcome in 6 of the 12 result areas. We saw
the most improvement in the area of family well-being, and improving
communication skills.