Oklahoma’s Fifth Annual Statewide Women in Agriculture & Small Business Conference will be held on September 18 & 19, 2008 at the Moore Norman Technology Center located at SW 134th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in Oklahoma City. It is presented by the Great Plains Resource Conservation and Development Association along with the USDA Risk Management Agency in cooperation with a team of dedicated professionals and generous sponsors. This years theme is “Managing Risk Successfully”. This conference will address personal, family, business and agriculture issues that present unique challenges to women. Attendees will receive handouts and educational materials during the conference. Every breakout will focus on providing helpful information that will assist women as they work to be successful in their endeavors.

The Keynotes for Thursday and Friday are Jolene Brown a real “Farmer Brown” from West Branch, Iowa and Jenifer Reynolds the current host of the statewide TV program Discover Oklahoma. Friday’s guest speaker is Mike Klemme, an Enid native and longtime Oklahoma resident, and the Official Photographer of the Oklahoma Centennial.

This two day conference agenda will include dynamic speakers with a variety of informative break out sessions to meet each participant’s individual educational needs.

The focus of the sessions will be on:

Agriculture

? USDA Panel Discussion- Most up-to-date USDA programs that are available through NRCS and FSA

? RMA- Basics of Crop Insurance and Livestock Risk

? Farm Bill Updates- Most recent Farm Bill information and how it affects you

? Aiding Aging Parents in Family Farm Operations

Business & Finance

? Office Set-up & Taxes- Most recent tax information from the IRS

? How to Make Business Plans

? Marketing with a Revenue Policy

? Financial Planning & Investment

? Regulations for Food Related Business

? Quicken 2008 for Farm Financial Records- Hands-on computer workshop on how to use Quicken for farm financial record-keeping

? Rural Enterprises of Oklahoma, Inc.- Women’s Business Center

Alternative Enterprises

? Forage Management, Quality, & Nutrition

? Farm-To-School- Economic opportunities and getting our kids to eat healthier

? Conflict Mediation

? Renewable Energy

? Agritourism

? Start-up for Managing Goats & Livestock

There will also be opportunities to visit educational exhibits and a very unique “Mini Mall”, which highlights successful Oklahoma women in business and their products.

Every conference participant is welcome to the “Taste of Oklahoma” Conference Reception that will be held on Thursday, September 18th, 2008 at 6:00 p.m. The reception will be held at the Best Western Barsana Hotel & Suites Reception Room. This reception will feature free wine tasting by the Deer Creek Vineyard. The reception will also feature Oklahoma food products provided by the Wichita Buffalo Company, Peach Crest Farms, Earth Element Farms and Hardesty Cheese. It will be a great opportunity for networking and relaxing!

Our main objective is to empower women of rural America by redefining your role as a women in business and agriculture, to strengthen that role, and foster a support network for each of you. We are excited about this year’s program and the impact it will have on those who attend. This is a wonderful opportunity to obtain new ideas and information, to be inspired by success stories and to network with all the successful women of Oklahoma.

We look forward to you joining the fun and helping Oklahoma women sow their seeds of success!

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