Loan Officer/Farm Tax Specialist Jean Conklin, from the White River Jct. office, attended the New Hampshire Women in Agriculture Conference held at Antioch University New England in Keene, NH on January 9, 2010. The topic of the conference was Balancing Farm and Family, and also included a discussion of a formation of a Women in Agriculture Network in NH, similar to the WAgN groups in Vermont and Pennsylvania. The event was sponsored by UNH Cooperative Extension, NHDAMF and RMA. This day-long conference featured the following presenters:
· Kathy J. Soder, PhD, Farmer, Wife, Mother and Research Animal Scientist, USDA-ARS, State College, PA
· Annette M. Higby, Attorney, Randolph, VT
· Shelby Colwell, Crop Growers, LLP
· Lorraine S. Merrill, Commissioner, NHDAMF
· Tara Sad, Environment and Agriculture Committee Chair, NH House of Representatives
· And a farmer panel of local NH Women.
In the 2007 Census of Agriculture, NH has the 2nd highest percentage of farms owned/operated by women in the US, second only to Arizona.
