Farming is a demanding lifestyle; and a farming partnership can be a relationship disaster or a positive and productive experience. Develop communication skills, systems, and tools to balance family, farm, relationships, and self. Key components to creating a healthy farm partnership include: having the same vision and goals, meeting personal needs, clear roles and decision making responsibilities, clear expectations and plans, and good communication.
This is a participatory workshop, based on exercises, dialog between partners, and sharing with the group of participants. It is designed for farm partnerships where both parties are engaged in the farm decision making and/or work activity, and are committed to working on a healthy relationship. Can be attended alone but with your partner is recommended. Come prepared to work hard and have fun.
Class size will be limited to 40.
* This workshop is not intended or designed to address relationships that have deteriorated into a state of opposition.
Presenter
 Atina Diffley
Atina Diffley is an organic consultant (Organic Farming Works LLC), educator, public speaker, and author of the 2012 memoir, Turn Here Sweet Corn: Organic Farming Works, widely acclaimed as "literature not lecture." She is the editor and designer of Roger Blobaum’s Organic History Website, and a contributing author and lead trainer for Wholesale Success: A Farmers Guide to Selling, Postharvest Handling and Packing Produce. From 1985 to 2008, she farmed and marketed with her husband Martin at the Gardens of Eagan, an urban-edge, organic vegetable farm, which he started in 1973 as one of the first certified organic produce farms in the Midwest. For reflections, tips and decision-making tools subscribe to her on-line blog, What Is A Farm.
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The current 30% increase in the number of women-owned and operated farms is driven by women launching small-scale, diversified, sustainable, community-focused operations with a strong educational mission. Today’s women farmer movement reaches beyond growing healthy food, these women want to empower others to transform our food system by understanding where our food comes from.
This unique session explores what makes a good farm educator, providing tools and ideas covering topics from how to give an engaging farm tour or workshop to incorporating different teaching methods into your educational outreach. Examples of ways women farmers are successfully running farm businesses and food-based operations that grow good food as well as food system change will be discussed, along with tips on how to pragmatically incorporate education into your business plan.
A dynamic and diverse range of speakers, women farmers and entrepreneurs leading change in sustainable and organic agriculture, will cover topics including:
- So You Want to Teach: What the Best Farm Educators Do (Valerie Dantoin Adamski & Lisa Kivirist)
- How to Give a Great Farm Tour (Valerie Dantoin Adamski)
- How to Be a Strong Mentor (Leigh Adcock & Jan Libbey)
- Using Technology & Social Media as an Educational Tool (Kristi Waits)
- Blending Education into Your Business Plan (Lisa Kivirist)
- Advice & Challenges from Women Farmer Educator (Beth Osmund, Terra Brockman, Jamie Baker)
Presenters
 Lisa Kivirist Facilitator
Lisa Kivirist is the co-author of Farmstead Chef, ECOpreneuring and Rural Renaissance and she writes for publications such as Hobby Farms, Urban Farm and Edible Madison. Along with her husband, John Ivanko, she runs Inn Serendipity Farm, a B&B outside Monroe, WI, completely powered by renewable energy and ranked one of the “Top 10 Eco-Destinations in North America.” Lisa also leads the MOSES Rural Women’s Project, providing outreach and training for women farmers and food-based entrepreneurs.
 Terra Brockman
Terra Brockman is the author of The Seasons on Henry’s Farm and for the past 20 years the farm’s outreach person, now reaching thousands of customers and fans each week through Facebook and blogging weekly CSA and Market Notes on her website. She is also the founder of The Land Connection, an educational nonprofit working to train new farmers and link them with farmland.
 Valerie Dantoin Adamski
Valerie Dantoin Adamski is an organic farmer, scientist and teacher. She co-owns and operates Full Circle Organic Dairy farm, which has been in her husband’s family over 100 years. Valerie earned a Master’s Degree in Agronomy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Valerie’s special interests are in soils and managed grazing. When she’s not milking cows she works full time at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay writing and teaching a dozen courses in Organic & Sustainable Food and Agriculture
 Leigh Adcock
Executive director of Women, Food and Agriculture Network (WFAN) since 2008. She grew up on a family farm in northwest Iowa, and has worked in communications, journalism and public relations for 30 years. She has a long-time passion for the environment and sustainable agriculture, as well as women¹s empowerment. WFAN and the MOSES Rural Women’s Project help support the Plate to Politics initiative, supporting more women committed to sustainable and organic agriculture in leadership positions.
 Jan Libbey
Jan Libbey farms with her husband, Tim Landgraf, at One Step at a Time Gardens, located in North Central Iowa. The farm, directly across from beautiful East Twin Lake in southern Hancock County, provides a wide range of farm fresh products through a 120 member CSA and regional wholesale accounts. Jan has also been involved with local food development work at the state and local level. She currently serves as part-time regional food coordinator for Healthy Harvest of North Iowa.
 Kristi Waits
After working 15 years as a data analyst, Kristi is now a technology entrepreneur running Wainik Ventures and has launched multiple consulting and e-commerce businesses, each taking less than a month and $500 to set up. Kristi is passionate about helping people -- especially busy women farmers transforming our food system -- navigate the technology jungle as a tool for both education and marketing their business. This includes providing time- and cost-effective ways to set up their website, email, cloud computing, social media, videos, marketing, and accounting software. Kristi was an inspiring speaker at a 2012 Rural Women's Project In Her Boots session, synthesizing technology options for women farmers.
 Jamie Baker
After careers in accounting, technology, project management and education, Jamie Baker, a long time resident of the Chicago area, relocated to Wisconsin to successfully launch Primrose Valley Farm LLC. The heart of the certified organic vegetable farm’s operation is its CSA, serving families in Madison and surrounding communities as well as the Chicago area where it also supplies produce to restaurants. In support of their strong commitment to education and food justice they conduct on farm educational programs and provide produce to area food pantries.
 Beth Osmund
10.5 years ago, Beth, along with her husband Jody, left corporate jobs in Chicago to start their farm: Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm in Ottawa, IL. CSA shares and farmer's markets are cornerstones of their marketing plan. Education is an integral part of their mission. From how to cook the meat they deliver to the broad social implications sustainable farming, each interaction is an opportunity to teach.
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