National Farmers Union is excited to bring Women's Conference to Albuquerque, NM for the first time this November! Join Farmers Union members from across the country for two days of interactive sessions on ag business management, leadership development, cooperative education and more.
This year's conference theme is centered around preservation. Farmers and ranchers are the stewards of our lands, and are uniquely positioned to lead environmental preservation efforts. This conference will challenge attendees to consider "preservation" in other aspects of agriculture: historical and cultural preservation, community preservation, the preservation of self through mental wellness, and the preservation of business health for farm and ranch businesses.
Through each of these topics, we hope this conference will inspire you to continue the work that National Farmers Union has been leading for over 120 years: preserving a future for family farmers.
This year's conference theme is centered around preservation. Farmers and ranchers are the stewards of our lands, and are uniquely positioned to lead environmental preservation efforts. This conference will challenge attendees to consider "preservation" in other aspects of agriculture: historical and cultural preservation, community preservation, the preservation of self through mental wellness, and the preservation of business health for farm and ranch businesses.
Through each of these topics, we hope this conference will inspire you to continue the work that National Farmers Union has been leading for over 120 years: preserving a future for family farmers.
Location
Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town
800 Rio Grande Blvd
800 Rio Grande Blvd
Date
November 12-14, 2023
REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED. We hope to see you next year!
Sunday, November 12
4:00 pM
Tablao Flamenco Matinee
This add-on is now sold out. If you would like to attend, please purchase tickets independently at tablaoflamenco.org. Did you know Albuquerque is the flamenco capital of the United States? Through a unique partnership based on cultural preservation, Hotel Albuquerque and the nonprofit National Institute of Flamenco have joined efforts to create Tablao Flamenco Albuquerque. Proceeds from the Tablao support the National Institute of Flamenco in their efforts to preserve, promote, and advance this UNESCO-protected art form. Doors open at 3:15pm. Limited availability for purchase.
6:00 pM
Registration
Welcome to New Mexico! Pick up your conference materials at our conference registration desk before kicking off the conference in the morning. Registration will be open from 6:00pm - 7:00pm and will be open again on Monday morning.
Monday, November 13
8:00 AM
Registration
Registration will be open from 8:00-9:00am outside the conference meeting room. Receive name badges and conference information at the registration table.
9:00 AM
Welcome to Women's Conference!
Kick off the conference with introductions from National Farmers Union and network with fellow Farmers Union members.
9:30 AM
Preservation Spotlight: Farmers Union Preservation Projects
Hear from three states - Wisconsin Farmers Union, North Dakota Farmers Union, and Minnesota Farmers Union, about special projects they are undertaking to preserve history, community, and tradition.
10:00 AM
Financial and Key Management Recordkeeping
What records are required to keep, and which are useful? How should you keep records in a meaningful, systematic way? This workshop will cover the IRS requirements for records farm and ranch businesses must keep to support their tax returns. It will delve into best practices for bookkeeping systems, and key management record that will help you manage for efficiency and profitability. Presented by Poppy Davis.
12:00 pM
Lunch
Lunch will be provided.
1:15 pM
Workshop: Using Storytelling to Preserve our Past and Lead a Collaborative Future
This interactive workshop will involve a series of activities to explore storytelling that not only preserves and supports our past but also that fosters collaborative action. Bring your own stories, goals for the land, and ideas for who is in the community of people you want to involve more as collaborators. The goal is that you will leave with some initial steps for beginning your own process—a process rooted in a radical--but simple--approach to storytelling that may not be what you expect. Presented by Linda Shenk of Iowa State University and the Women, Food, and Ag Network
2:30 pM
How Cooperatives are Supporting Indigenous Communities
This panel discussion will explore how the cooperative business model supports and empowers indigenous communities.
Helga Garcia-Garza - Executive Director, Agri-Cultura Network and La Cosecha CSA
Rebecca Grashuis - Farm to School Coordinator, Indigenous Farm Hub
Bijiibah Begaye - Executive Director, Cooperative Catalyst
Eva Seidelman - Attorney, Chestnut Law Offices (consultant to Cooperative Catalyst)
Teia Evans - Project Director, Strengthening Co-op Capacity for Historically Underserved Farmers, NCBA CLUSA
Helga Garcia-Garza - Executive Director, Agri-Cultura Network and La Cosecha CSA
Rebecca Grashuis - Farm to School Coordinator, Indigenous Farm Hub
Bijiibah Begaye - Executive Director, Cooperative Catalyst
Eva Seidelman - Attorney, Chestnut Law Offices (consultant to Cooperative Catalyst)
Teia Evans - Project Director, Strengthening Co-op Capacity for Historically Underserved Farmers, NCBA CLUSA
3:45 pM
Building Resilience on Working Lands
Quivira Coalition builds resilience on western working landscapes through education, innovation, and collaboration. Critical to this work is not only the preservation of immense knowledge and experience within agricultural communities, but the preservation of the communities themselves in many ways. This session will explore the following questions, informed by Quivira’s work through its New Agrarian and Carbon Ranch Initiative programs: How can we preserve rural communities by training the next generation of ranchers and farmers? And how can we steward and preserve data that protects the interests and sovereignty of the people connected to the data? Presented by Quivira Coalition staff Leah Ricci - New Agrarian Program Director and Eva Stricker - Carbon Ranch Initiative Program Director.
4:45 pM
Day Wrap-up and Break
6:00 pM
Dinner and Trivia!
Enjoy dinner with fellow Farmers Union members while NFU staff test your knowledge with a good old fashioned game of trivia.
Tuesday, November 14
8:00 AM
Breakfast
Breakfast provided
9:00 AM
2023 Farm Bill Outlook
What should you expect from the Farm Bill's reauthorization? What does the future of the Farm Bill hold for family farmer and ranchers? Get the inside scoop from Layla Soberanis, NFU's Sr. Government Relations Representative.
10:00 AM
Workshop: Is Well-being even possible in agriculture?
The question must be earnestly asked as we make meaningful movement toward an answer. Well-being is a multifaceted, ever-changing reality that requires conscious choice and continual nurturing to experience. Participants in this workshop will explore a new perspective on wellbeing for farmers, ranchers and agriculture workers, and how to practice regulation in challenging times that inevitably arise. Through this workshop we hope to normalize social connectedness, relevant conversations, and practical tools that support physical, mental and emotional well-being for people working in agriculture. Presented by Constance Wilson in partnership with Rocky Mountain Farmers Union's AgWell.
11:15 AM
Farming and Family
Hear from fellow Farmers Union members on how they juggle family, work, and farm life.
Nick Perchess - Rocky Mountain Farmers Union
Elisana Judovsky - Minnesota Farmers Union
Jana Linderman - Iowa Farmers Union
Moderated by Abby Perdue - Membership Director, National Farmers Union
Nick Perchess - Rocky Mountain Farmers Union
Elisana Judovsky - Minnesota Farmers Union
Jana Linderman - Iowa Farmers Union
Moderated by Abby Perdue - Membership Director, National Farmers Union
12:15 AM
Conference Wrap-up
Wrap up the conference with a quick look at how you can stay involved with other Farmers Union programs.
12:30 PM
Lunch
Boxed lunch will be provided
1:30 PM
Visit the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (optional add-on for an additional charge)
The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center is the Gateway to the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico. Learn about Pueblo culture from ancient times to the present. Tour the collection of murals by Pueblo artists for an inspiring and personal experience, and dine at the Indian Pueblo Kitchen, an innovative teaching kitchen and restaurant centered around Indigenous foodways.
Location
Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town is conveniently located in the heart Old Town Albuquerque, a nationally designated historic site. Founded in 1706, it encompasses 10 blocks of historic adobe buildings and is home to over 150 restaurants, galleries, shops, and museums.
What to do in ABQ
Sawmill Market
3 min walk from hotel
Dubbed "New Mexico's first food hall", find an eclectic collection of bars and eateries in a historic warehouse
Learn more
Learn more
Sandia Peak Tramway
20 min drive from hotel
A 2.7 mile aerial tram ride will take you to the crest of the Sandia Mountains and an unbeatable panoramic view
Learn more
Learn more
Los Poblanos Historic Inn
and Organic Farm
and Organic Farm
7 min drive from hotel
Make a reservation at the farm-to-table restaurant, have afternoon tea, or enjoy a spa day
Learn more
Learn more
Thank you to our Sponsors
National Farmers Union advocates for family farmers and their communities through cooperation, legislation, and education. With over 300,000 members across the United States, our vision is of a world in which farm families and their communities are respected, valued, and enjoy economic prosperity and social justice.
Contact us
Do you have a question about the conference or about Farmers Union membership? A suggestion for future programming? An idea for an awesome door prize?
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