by Nathan Boddy
It was a full room of agricultural producers, creators and networking professionals last Friday, May 12 as the Montana Farmers Union (MFU) held its first ‘Ladies Who Ag’ luncheon at the Ravalli County Economic Development Authority offices in Hamilton. Carissa McNamara, a MFU’s Ambassador who helped organize the luncheon said that the value of bringing women together to share ideas and resources grew out of a realization about just how valuable the networking aspect can be.
“The idea stemmed from our staff at Montana Farmers Union wanting to continue the networking opportunities from our women’s conferences that we hold,” said McNamara. She went on to explain that the standard conferences tended to cut short that important element. “We packed so much into the conference(s), then only had 15 minutes to get together with people in the room. Then we get back into our communities and back into our farms and don’t have that networking opportunity.”
The logical step, therefore, has been the creation of the Ladies Who Ag Luncheon, which will be held on an ongoing basis throughout five different regions of the state. The gathering itself is specifically for the purpose of sharing information about available resources, needs and networking. At the gathering in Hamilton, representatives of USDA, MSU agricultural extension office and the Bitterroot Conservation District were present to share details about grants and programs that might assist regional producers in the Bitterroot Valley.
Kay Webb of the Bitterroot Valley Conservation District expressed her enthusiasm about working with the group, and emphasized that her efforts would largely be channeled by the needs of the group.
“I’m finding all these opportunities to be cooperative and work with these established groups,” she said. Webb went on to describe some of the efforts she is able to make in connecting producers to resources including educational and financial. She also described a pollinator initiative project that provides seed and education for plots that can be dedicated for pollinators and monitoring.
Over twenty participants showed up to the luncheon, representing everything from producers of jam and jellies, to alpaca wool, eggs, meat and more. It was very clear that the opportunity to network was well received. Upon introductions, each woman was asked to share her name, as well as one need that she has as a producer. Access to grant funds was an obvious topic, but shortages of reliable labor, marketing advice and even guidance on tractor maintenance were mentioned. One participant made the comment, “There are aspects of farming that go beyond just knowing your plants and your soil. That would really help us as women in agriculture.”
For more information on the upcoming Ladies Who Ag luncheons, visit: https://montanafarmersunion.com/ladies-who-ag-gathers-women-resources/#page-content