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SDSU Extension will host its biannual Power of Women as AgVocates conference March 4-5, 2022 in Fort Pierre, South Dakota at the Casey Tibbs Rodeo Center and the Missouri Avenue Event Center in Pierre. If you are unable to attend in person, the conference will also be offered online.

The Power of Women as AgVocates is held every other year for women involved in agriculture and is focused on a variety of topics. This year the conference is focused on the power of dialogue and understanding policy and consumer insight.

A Mini Winter Workshop for the Women on the Range program will also be held prior to the program's start at 1 p.m. on March 4, at the Prairie Paradise Farms near Fort Pierre, S.D. The workshop will focus on touring a local operation that focuses on soil health and livestock integration, followed by a discussion of benefits and methods of winter feeding.
Schedule

Friday, March 4 - Mini Winter Workshop @ Prairie Paradise Farms (26220 212th St, Fort Pierre, SD 57532)

1 p.m. CST – Meet at Prairie Paradise Farms (Crystal and Levi Neuharth)
26220 212th St, Fort Pierre, SD 57532
1:15-1:30 p.m. – Check in/Welcome
1:30-2:00 p.m. – Paradise Prairie Farms, Introductions and Overview
2:00-3:00 p.m. – Field Tour
3:30 p.m. – Meet back in Pierre @ SDSU Regional Center (412 W Missouri Ave Pierre, SD 57501)
3:45-4:15 p.m. – Ecosystem Benefits of Alternative Winter Feeding Methods
4:15-4:45 p.m. – Alternative Winter Feeding Methods Overview
4:45-5:00 p.m. – Wrap Up

Contact Jessalyn Bachler, SDSU Extension Range Field Specialist, for more information about the Mini Winter Workshop.

Friday, March 4 - The Power of Women as AgVocates Conference @ Casey Tibbs Rodeo Center and Museum (210 Verendrye Drive, Fort Pierre, SD 57532)

6 p.m. CST - Registration
7 p.m. - Hor d'oeuvres, networking and museum browsing
Welcome – Gloria Hanson, the Mayor of Fort Pierre, and Kalyn Eulberg, Exec. Director, Casey Tibbs Center
Keynote Kickoff: The Power of Dialogue, Understanding Policy and Consumer Insight – Marianne Smith Edge

Saturday, March 5 - The Power of Women as AgVocates Conference @ Missouri Avenue Event Center (217 W Missouri Ave., Pierre, SD 57501)

7:30 a.m. CST - Registration
8 a.m.-4 p.m. - Conference
The Power of Communication – Marianne Smith Edge
The Power of Understanding Ag Issues – Senator Mary Duvall
Powerful AgVocating: Tips and Tricks for Telling Our Story – Jaelyn Quintana
The Power of Celebrating Women in Agriculture – Audra Mulkern
The Power of Understanding Climate Policy – Laura Edwards
The Power of Mindfulness – Lorna Saboe-Wounded Head
4 p.m. - Conclusion and Departure

Registration

The deadline to register for the conference is February 25, 2022. If you will be attending virtually, select the online option when you register. The Women on the Range: Mini Winter Workshop will not be offered online.

A block of rooms are reserved at the Fort Pierre AmericInn at $89.99 plus tax. To reserve contact the hotel (605-223-2358) and request a room(s) under the SDSU Extension block. The offer will last until February 18, 2022.

For more information, please contact Robin Salverson, SDSU Extension Cow/Calf Field Specialist.

A Mini Winter Workshop for the Women on the Range program will be held prior to the Power of Women as AgVocates conference on March 4, at the Prairie Paradise Farms near Fort Pierre, S.D. The workshop will focus on touring a local operation that focuses on soil health and livestock integration, followed by a discussion of benefits and methods of winter feeding.

The Mid-Missouri River Prescribed Burn Association will celebrate its 6 year anniversary with an annual meeting at the Community Room in Bonesteel, SD at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 11, 2022.
The MMRPBA invites anyone interested in conducting prescribed burns to control cedar trees and improve grassland health to please attend the meeting. Current memberships will be renewed and the MMRPBA is looking for new members who want to offer support to help control the “Cedar Glacier” that is taking over our grasslands. The MMRPBA is the first prescribed burn association formed in South Dakota. The organization’s core area includes: Gregory, Charles Mix, Brule, and Lyman Counties.
Speaking this year will be Tim Steil of the former Mulehead Ranch north of Bonesteel, SD. Tim has many years of prescribed burn experience and will discuss his experiences conducting prescribed burns on the ranch over the past 5 years. South Dakota State University graduate students Austin Domeier and Alanna Hartsfield will also provide presentations on research projects they are conducting on cedar tree encroachment in the Missouri River corridor.
A business meeting and supper will follow the presentations. We would like to invite anyone who is interested in controlled burns as a means of improving your grasslands to please attend and consider joining the MMRPBA. Dues are $25 for one year. Please RSVP to one of the following individuals or our website or Facebook page so we have an accurate meal count. Thank you!

KEITH HOVORKA – 605-464-0377 or keithhovorka0377@gmail.com
SEAN KELLY – 605-840-2200 or sean.kelly@sdstate.edu
TOM HAUSMANN – 605-770-5576 or trainingmtrs@gmail.com
SARA GRIM – 605-654-2288 or grimranch@gwtc.net

Tentative Agenda

5:00 p.m. - Research project presentations from SDSU graduate students.
5:30 p.m. - Tim Steil will discuss prescribed burns on the Mulehead Ranch.
7:00 p.m. - Light supper.
7:30 p.m. - Business meeting.

Topics & Presenters:

“Defending South Dakota’s Grasslands-Will The State Be The First to Win The War On Woody Encroachment?”
Dirac Twidwell, Associate Professor at the University of Nebraska, a science Advisor for the USDA NRCS in the Great Plains, and a National Science Team member for a new Great Plains Grasslands Biome Framework

“Ranchers Use Of Livestock Pest Products”
Dr. Jessica Ulrich-Schad, Associate Professor of Environmental & Community Sociology at the Utah State University

“You Are Not Alone, Managing Mental Health”
Dr. Karl Oehlke, Adult Psychiatric Physician Associate at Avera McKennan in Sioux Falls, SD, he originated the Farm and Rural Stress Hotline in 2018

“Managing Calf Price Risk In 2022”
Matthew Diersen, Professor at South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD and a Risk & Business Management Specialist

Registration begins at 9:00 a.m. Speakers start at 10:00 a.m.

EXPO BOOTHS
Vendor and Informational booths will be available to view all day.

For more information contact:
Lealand Schoon - (605) 488-9762
Laurie Chauncey - (605) 828-2456
Jewell Bork - (605) 530-3713

Persons requiring accommodations should call one of the above phone numbers one week before the event.

Coordinated by SDSU Extension, Rosebud Sioux Tribal Ranch. Natural Resources Conservation Service, Mellette-Todd County Farm Service Agency, Mellette & Todd County Conservation Districts, South Central Resource Conservation & Development Council

USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer, and Lender