.png) Today, approximately 170 agribusiness women and farmers will meet in Raleigh at the Marriot Crabtree Valley to discuss farming issues. Brenda Brisson, Chairwoman of the NC Farm Bureau Women’s Committee:
“The purpose of the Women’s Committee is the development of women’s leadership in agriculture.”
The Women’s Committee has several different functions, according to Brisson:
“We promote legislative involvement, we plan service project for the county farm bureaus also.”
Brisson explains the theme of this meeting:
“Our theme this year is “Tell Our Story” and by tell our story we mean telling our story about agriculture. And the sessions this year are built around kind of like a tool box for telling our story. Our sessions is working out how to tell our story in the different ways.”
The group meets four times a year, one meeting is with legislators in Washington to discuss issues directly affecting farming:
“Well, we address the issues that’s affecting agriculture right at hand. For instance, e-verify is one of the big things with farmers, it’s creating havoc with farmers, really, because we have to have a work force, and this e-verify is going to make it…it’s going to be unavailable for farmers to get their crops in, because the majority of them have been scared off because of what’s been going on with immigration, and we really, really need a better situation with e-verify than what they’ve come up with.”
Another issue that will be on the agenda when the Washington meeting comes up is estate taxes:
“Estate tax will put a lot of farmers out of farming, unless they keep it high enough..they’re wanting to do away with it, but you can lose your whole farm with estate tax.”
The Agenda for the two day meeting is below: All sessions are in the Marriott Hotel Crabtree, Raleigh NC.
Tuesday, April 3
10:00 am – 12:00 pm Silent Auction Open
11:00 am – 12:00 pm Registration
12:00 – 1:15 pm Lunch & NC Council for Women Speaker Beth Briggs, NC Council for Women
1:30 – 2:15 pm Choice of Afternoon Sessions:
Cooking NC Commodities with The Produce Lady-Brenda Sutton, NC Cooperative Extension
Legislative Insight – The Rest of the Story!-Paula Gupton Page, NC Farm Bureau
NCFB Public Policy Overview - Forest Mitch Peele, NC Farm Bureau
Staying Fit to Tell My Story -Kitty Honeycutt, Zumba Instructor
2:30 – 3:15 pm Choice of Afternoon Sessions
3:15 – 4:00 pm Silent Auction Open, Break & Hotel Check-In
4:00 – 4:45 pm Choice of Afternoon Sessions
4:45 pm How Did That Get Into My Lunchbox ? Book Distribution
4:45 – 5:30 pm Silent Auction Open
7:00 – 9:00 pm Silent Auction Open---Final Bids in by 9:00 pm
8:00 – 10:00 pm Fun Night! – Fun & Games, Network & Learning
Wednesday, April 4
7:30 – 8:15 am Breakfast Buffet
8:30 – 9:15 am Choice of Morning Sessions
Getting County Farm Bureau Activities Recognized--Kathy Higgins & Karen McKnight, NC Farm Bureau
Making Media Work for You---Johnna Miller, American Farm Bureau
Telling Your Story---Kyle Perry, American Farm Bureau
Tools for Building Your Story Box---Moderator – Susan Barnes
Panel – Judy Bare (ACT), Lorenda Overman (AFBF Boot Camp), Sarah Dietrich (LEAD), and Cathy Lewis (Campaign Management Symposium)
9:15 – 9:30 am Break
9:30 – 10:15 am Choice of Morning Sessions
10:15 – 11:00 am Break, Hotel Check-Out & Silent Auction Pickup
11:00 – 11:45 am Choice of Morning Sessions
11:45 am – 1:15 pm Lunch & Speaker--Ken Purser, Tennessee Farm Bureau
1:30 pm Conference Adjourns & Silent Auction Pickup |