Completed Project Report


Whole Farm Risk Management Tours for Iowa Women in Ag

  • Award Amount: $50,000
  • Regional Center: North Central Extension Risk Management Education Center
  • Grant Program: 2017 Education Projects
  • Project Director: Madeline Schultz
  • Email: schultz@iastate.edu
  • Organization: Iowa State University

Extension RME Regional Centers
Extension Risk Management Education Region Map

Project Overview

This project provided an opportunity for the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach farm management team to work with county program coordinators and the Iowa Women in Agriculture (IWIA) non-profit in new ways. The focus was offering local tours to bring new programming to the IWIA and counties with a long-term commitment to educating women in agriculture. Local steering committees designed each tour to address five risk management topics: 1) financial costs and benefits of production practices, 2) food and family/employee safety, 3) staying ahead of regulations, 4) storing and marketing strategies, and 5) managing nutrients, soil erosion and water quality. The project team led seven bus tours throughout Iowa during 2017 and 2018, serving 189 participants. Tours included both farms and agribusinesses. Fun and interactive experiences provided memorable lessons and personal growth that led to new insights. Overall, survey respondents reported an increase in knowledge from “low’ or ‘somewhat low’ to ‘somewhat high’ or ‘high.’ The importance of each tour topic and the quality of presentations ranged from ‘moderate’ to ‘high.’ A majority of respondents reported the tours met expectations and they were likely to attend future tours. A stakeholder report was developed for each county and the IWIA. 

Number of Participants: 189

Outcomes

Project Steps

PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS

There are no promotional materials available for this project.

EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS

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REPORTS & EVALUATIONS

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DELIVERY AREA

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