Agenda
“Leading with Resilience”
Open to All
Wednesday, December 3 to Thursday, December 4, 2025
Gateway Hotel and Conference Center, Ames, Iowa
Click on the days below to view the schedule
Professional Photo Opportunity
Networking and Refreshments
Committee Remarks: Lisa Scarbrough and Abby Tlach
University Welcome: Dr. Wendy Wintersteen, President, Iowa State University
Keynote One: Women in Agriculture: Stories of Leadership and Perseverance
Speaker: Gabrielle McNally, Social Science Director, and Women for the Land Advisor, American Farmland Trust
Dr. Roesch-McNally will highlight her own leadership journey in agriculture while also weaving in stories of other women farmers and service providers she has worked with across the United States. She will explore the multifaceted nature of women’s leadership in agriculture and explore the notion that women in agriculture are not a monolithic group. Her presentation will also highlight the 2026 International Year of the Woman Farmer and explore why we still need targeted programs that uplift and support women in agriculture’s success and perseverance in this complex and multifaceted industry.
Gather with tour leaders
Tour A1: Jack Trice Stadium’s Winning Homegrown Turfgrass
Tour Presenters: Joe Hill, Manager of Athletics Turf Grounds; and Zackary Messer, Research Scientist, Dept. of Horticulture
Jack Trice Stadium’s collaboration with the Iowa State Horticulture Department’s research farm and Turfgrass Management program is one more reason the stadium is renowned and beloved. Learn about the research and management that goes into having a beautiful, functional natural grass stadium that is consistently ranked as one of the best in the nation.
Tour A2: Supporting Iowa Agriculture: ISU Creamery and Midwest Grape and Wine Industry Institute
Tour Presenters: Sarah Canova, ISU Creamery Business Administrator; and Erin Norton, Midwest Grape and Wine Industry Institute Director
Visit the ISU Creamery and Grape and Wine Industry Institute, both located in the Food Science building. The enology and viticulture science program began in 2006. A brewing science program and a laboratory were added in 2021. This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Creamery’s re-establishment after a 50-year hiatus. Ice cream and cheese are produced and marketed onsite. Learn how research, extension and outreach, and student employment drive agricultural and economic development.
Tour A3: Sunny Campus Greenhouses Sprout Innovation
Tour Presenters: Aaron Brand and Julie Cory, Greenhouse Managers, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Shared Plant Growth Facilities
Have you ever wondered what is going on in those greenhouses on campus? The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences operates six of these sunny spaces. Learn how researchers and students utilize the facilities to study a wide range of crops from corn to lettuce and grow the lovely poinsettias that have graced our conference every year. As you visit greenhouses and plant growth chambers, tour hosts will explain the state-of-the-art environmental controls and innovative production systems.
Tour A4: High Flying & High Impact Drones and Digital Agriculture
Tour Presenters: Doug Houser, Digital Agriculture Extension Specialist and Ryan Huffman, Senior Manager Research
Committee Host: Carey Mathesius
Take a tour of the Alliant Energy Agriculture Innovation Lab, where the Digital Ag team specializes in tillage, planting, application and harvest operations. Weather permitting, the team will demonstrate imagery, spraying, and other types of drone usage. You’ll also watch a demonstration of planter row units planting into a soil bin. Learn why the Digital Ag team is passionate about industry partnerships and enhancing agricultural productivity and efficiency through science-driven solutions.
Tour A5: Horsing Around for Serious Economic Development and Equine Care
Tour Presenters: Nikki Ferwerda, Associate Teaching Professor
Come see the award-winning herd of Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred broodmares housed in the historic barns on campus as well as the Equine Learning Center constructed south of campus in 2014. Up to 15 students work at the horse barns which house as many as 80 horses. Learn about the experiences students gain through the farms and the 10 undergraduate and graduate courses in equine science offered by the Department of Animal Science.
Tour A6: Campus Tree Walk: Woodland Beauty, Benefits, and Beyond
Presenters: Julia Baker, Industry Extension Specialist; and Jen Merryman, Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management
Join us as we explore the beautiful ISU campus while learning how trees and woodlands benefit people, wildlife, and water quality. Learn the basics of tree identification and see some of the stunning trees on campus. You’ll gain a new appreciation for Iowa’s native trees and learn where to find resources to help with your woodland care and management interests. This tour will be mostly outdoors, so please dress for the weather.
Tour A7: Memorable Life Lessons Learned at Ag 450 Farm
Presenter: Skyler Rinker, Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Agriculture Education
Join us to discover the Ag 450 Farm’s unique history and future. Established in 1943, the Ag 450 Farm continues to serve as a memorable and practical educational resource. Each year, more than 120 students learn life lessons through teamwork as they make decisions that contribute to the sustainability of the corn, soybean, and hog farm. Students gain real-world skills they apply to farming, teaching agriculture students, and other careers.
Session B1: Cyber Incident Management Exercise for Emergency Preparedness – South Prairie
Speakers: Doug Jacobson; Sunil & Sujata Gaitonde Professorship in Cybersecurity and Director of the ISU Center for Cybersecurity Innovation and Outreach; Jennifer Horn-Frasier, Founder and Strategist, Bluebird Sky, LLC
What would you do if your operation faced a sudden digital disruption or technology failure? This interactive session walks participants through a hands-on Cybersecurity Incident Management Exercise (CIME) tailored for the agricultural community. The scenario will simulate a real-world crisis like a cyberattack, communications outage, or system failure and guide you through team-based response, communication, and planning. While the focus is on cyber readiness, the skills you’ll develop apply to any emergency: assessing impact, maintaining operations, and protecting your people, assets, and reputation.
Session B2: Women Managing Farmland: Sharing Experiences – North Prairie
Panel Speakers: Gabrielle McNally, Social Science Director and Women for the Land Advisor, American Farmland Trust; Val Plagge, VIP Farms; and Joanne Tupper, Poppe Farms
Committee Moderator: Melissa O’Rourke
Leasing, conservation and succession planning are three key farmland management issues owners, operators and managers all have a stake in. Join our panel as they share experiences and strategies to manage farmland. In this interactive session, you’ll have the opportunity to ask questions and share concerns encountered as well as successful approaches you’ve used. You’ll gain new information on effective management practices and tools for improving communication. Lean on other women to help you refine your goals and gather resources to successfully improve your farm business management.
Session B3: Take the Bull by the Horns! Strategies for Growing Your Career and Leading with Excellence – Central Prairie
Speaker: Brenda Clark Hamilton, Founder, Fresh Coffee Professional Growth Programs
Women in agriculture are known for being strong, determined, and not afraid to take initiative to make good things happen for themselves and their families. In this engaging, interactive session, Brenda will provide practical strategies for advancing in your career and for being a leader who is well-respected, influential, confident, and highly effective. Strategies to be introduced include Communicate with Your Audience in Mind; Utilize the 93% of Communication; Take a Lesson from the C-Suite Panel; and Create Your Own Leadership Identity.
Session B4: Let’s Get Started with Career Mentoring Today! – Cardinal & Gold
Panel Speakers: Alexandra Osborn, Corn Breeding Associate II, Becks Hybrids; and Laura Rowe, Global Regulatory Leader – Corn, Corteva
Committee Moderator: Luci Sheriff
Developing a career mentoring relationship can be rewarding, helpful, and fun for both mentees and mentors. So, let’s get started! Alex and Laura will model a new mentee and mentor as they develop a learning relationship. You’ll connect with each other to practice developing your own mentee and mentor relationship based on collaboration, reciprocity, and mutually defined goals. Through activities, worksheets, and discussion, we’ll guide you in reflecting on your goals and establishing a mentoring plan to support your career success.
Capstone One: This is Not My First Rodeo! Strategies for Calmly Facing Whatever Comes Your Way
Speaker: Brenda Clark Hamilton Founder, Fresh Coffee Professional Growth Programs
In this engaging and upbeat close-of-day session, Brenda Clarke Hamilton will provide user-friendly strategies for increasing your resilience, i.e., the strength to keep moving forward despite challenges and to recover quickly from setbacks. Brenda will start by sharing a quirky Harvard Don’t Stop Believin’ study, then work into strategies including ARG! and Your Personal Board of Directors. You will leave with tools for facing whatever comes your way with a calm assurance that says, “This is not my first rodeo; I’ve been through difficult times before. I can face whatever is thrown my way with wisdom, creativity, and quiet confidence.”
Networking and Refreshments (Sorry, breakfast is not provided this year.)
Committee Remarks: Madeline Schultz and Abby Tlach
Keynote Two: Cultivating Resiliency
Speaker: Kiley Fleming Executive Director, Iowa Mediation Services
Resiliency is the crucial trait encouraging us at the deepest level to lean into uncertainty and “what if’s” by responding with purpose and tenacity. Kiley Fleming explains this strength is developed and defined by establishing our unique internal compass that equips us to embrace both the sun of highlight moments and shadow of darker moments. The messages and practices we cultivate within ourselves become the foundational resiliency tools for pivoting during the refining moments presented to us throughout life.
Women Impacting Ag Recognition
Honorees: Tamara Deal, Darcy Moulsby, Natalie Paino, Loretta Riemers
Committee Hosts: Lisa Scarbrough and Chris Cornelius
We are excited to honor four amazing women who are making positive changes and creating a more sustainable Iowa by improving economic resiliency and stability; conserving natural resources; and being influential agricultural leaders, family members, and community supporters. We’ll highlight their accomplishments through videos, and each honoree will share her story, goals, and encouragement for other women in agriculture.
Session C1:Leading Wellness: Agriculture Safety and Health – Cardinal & Gold
Panel Speakers: Chris Cornelius, Co-Owner, Cornelius Seed; Roxanne Fevold, Behavioral Health Director and Mental Health Therapist at Community Health in Ft. Dodge; Kim McMichael, Outreach Coordinator, Iowa’s Center for Agricultural Safety and Health
Committee Moderator: Elly Cain
Be a leader in supporting the wellness of family, employees, co-workers, and visitors involved in your farm or other agricultural business. Chris and Roxanne share stories of machinery and hog barn accidents and the life lessons they and their families learned through injury and recovery. Learn advice for safety and healing from firsthand experience. Kim brings resources from the Iowa Center for Agricultural Health and Safety that you can use to increase wellness including rural roadway safety, emergency preparedness, and mental health.
Session C2: Empowering Women in Agriculture: Navigating Workplace Challenges with Confidence – South Prairie
Speakers: Kathryn Greenfield, Deputy General Counsel, Kemin Industries; and Kamie VanOtterloo, Human Resources, Kemin Industries
Women in agriculture often face unique workplace challenges, from navigating complex policies to addressing bias and conflict. This session, led by Kathryn and Kamie, will provide practical guidance on understanding your rights, leveraging resources, and building resilience. Through real-world examples and actionable strategies, participants will learn how to advocate for themselves and support others, fostering a more inclusive and equitable agricultural industry.
Session C3:Getting Through Farming’s Financial Challenges – North Prairie
Speakers: Kiley Fleming, Executive Director, Iowa Mediation Services; Kelvin Leibold, retired ISU Extension and Outreach Farm Management Specialist; and Leslie Miller, retired Agricultural Lender
Committee Moderator: Janette Smith
Multiple years of low crop prices are leaving many Iowa farmers feeling financially challenged. As neighbors, advisors, suppliers, and other people who care, how do we help? Join our panel for a conversation about noticing the signs of financial stress, strategies for getting through difficult times, making tough decisions, working with lenders, talking with family, and the process of financial mediation. Walk away from this session with a better understanding of how farmers can work through financial challenges and improve resiliency through resources, knowledge, and networks.
Session C4: World Café: Conversations That Matter on Team Building – Central Prairie (Repeated in Session D4)
Speaker: Denise Forney, Vice President of Talent and Organizational Development at Iowa Corn
The World Café is a structured yet flexible method that fosters collaborative dialogue, active listening, and the sharing of diverse perspectives. In this session, participants will engage in rounds of small-group conversations around key team-building questions, with ideas and insights carried forward as they rotate tables. This dynamic process creates a web of connections and surfaces collective wisdom that might not emerge in traditional discussions. Together, teams will uncover strengths, identify challenges, and co-create practical strategies. Leave with fresh perspectives, stronger connections, and actionable ideas to build a more engaged, resilient, and effective team.
Luncheon Panel: Innovations in Regenerative Agriculture
Committee Moderator: Carey Mathesius, Research Scientist, Corteva Agriscience
Speakers: Keri Carstens, CEO for Jord BioScience, and Lisa Schulte Moore, ISU Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in Agricultural and Life Sciences, and co-director of the Bioeconomy Institute
Small changes have a big impact. From prairie strips to partner microbials, Lisa and Keri will explore what regenerative agriculture is. They are excited to share their own research highlights and discuss what’s buzzing right now in regenerative agriculture. While acknowledging occasional under-expectations, they will share how being a woman in agriculture can actually be a superpower. Gather around the kitchen table after lunch for a lively discussion of funding limitations, soil health, community, and taking initiative.
Session D1: Current Events, Policy and Trade in Agriculture – South Prairie
Speakers: Katie Hall, Senior Director of Advocacy, Iowa Soybean Association; and Julie Kenney, CEO, Agribusiness Association of Iowa
Join Julie Kenney and Katie Hall for an engaging discussion on current agricultural policy and issues shaping Iowa farms and agribusinesses. This session will explore how policy issues are affecting agriculture in the coming months, how farmers and agribusinesses are responding, and the role of member organizations in guiding policy and sustainability efforts. Participants will take home practical insights to influence agriculture today.
Session D2: Estate and Succession Planning for the Farm – North Prairie
Speaker: Kristine Tidgren, Director of the ISU Center for Ag Law and Taxation, and Adjunct Assistant Professor
Estate and succession planning is a pressing need for farmers and farmland owners. Iowa State’s most recent Iowa Farmland Ownership and Tenure Survey revealed less than 14 percent of all farmland is owned by someone under the age of 55. The data suggests that many farms will be transferring to new owners within the next decade. Yet, many farms do not have a written estate and succession plan. In this session Kristine offers practical guidance and new resources available to help prepare for ownership transfers.
Session D3: From Field to Family Finances: Building Confidence & Clarity – Cardinal & Gold
Speaker: Ann Schlecta, Wealth Advisor, Silverleaf Wealth Management
Join Ann Slechta of Silverleaf Wealth Management for an engaging session empowering women in agriculture to take charge of their financial future. Discover how to strengthen your financial confidence through budgeting tools, family money conversations, and diversification strategies. Learn practical ways to teach your children about money, build off-farm income stability, and leverage technology like ChatGPT to simplify financial management and achieve long-term clarity.
Session D4: World Café: Conversations That Matter on Team Building (Repeat of Session C4) – Central Prairie
Speaker: Denise Forney, Vice President of Talent and Organizational Development at Iowa Corn
The World Café is a structured yet flexible method that fosters collaborative dialogue, active listening, and the sharing of diverse perspectives. In this session, participants will engage in rounds of small-group conversations around key team-building questions, with ideas and insights carried forward as they rotate tables. This dynamic process creates a web of connections and surfaces collective wisdom that might not emerge in traditional discussions. Together, teams will uncover strengths, identify challenges, and co-create practical strategies. Leave with fresh perspectives, stronger connections, and actionable ideas to build a more engaged, resilient, and effective team.
Committee Remarks and Door Prizes: Madeline Schultz
Capstone Two: Where Do We Go From Here
Speaker: Julie Kenney, Chief Executive Officer, Agribusiness Association of Iowa
In a time of uncertainty and change across agriculture, this keynote explores how we move forward with purpose, resilience, and hope. Julie Kenney shares insights on navigating challenges, embracing opportunities, and finding renewed worth in our time, talents, and relationships. Attendees will leave inspired to recognize their own value, build meaningful connections, and lean into the possibilities ahead for themselves, their farms, and the ag industry.