In previous years, High Plains Journal’s U events have focused on producer-specific farm and ranch management topics, but in the inaugural year of the HPJ Live—a new HPJ U event to be held this year—women’s targeted education sessions will also be included. The family farm is crucial to the High Plains, and providing a well-rounded educational experience for the whole family is right in line with HPJ’s values and goals for this new event.
HPJ Live is set for Aug. 6-8 in Wichita, Kansas, at the Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center. This event will incorporate HPJ’s past educational U events, including Cattle U, Alfalfa U, Sorghum Wheat U, and Soil Health U, into one event with a tradeshow expected to include more than 100 exhibitors.
The women’s education program on day one includes a breakout session from Lettie Nickell, a fourth-generation farmer and rancher from Southwest Kansas. She is also an entrepreneur, owning her own direct to consumer meat business, wedding venue and Airbnb. She stays busy with life on the farm and being a wife and mother. Nickell’s presentation is titled, “Ranch business development—Diversifying income streams.”
Janna Splitter, co-owner at Splitter Farms, will also give a breakout presentation on the first day of the event. She grew up on a first-generation farm in Central Kansas, and now helps manage the finances at her husband, Matt’s, fifth-generation family farm. She’s passionate about sharing agriculture’s story through efforts with CommonGround Kansas, 4-H, and commodity groups. Splitter works to balance her leadership and farm duties with motherhood, which will be the content of her presentation, “Bushels, Bleachers & Burnout.”
Shannon Martin, Kansas Farm Bureau assistant director of ag education and the KFB Foundation, will present a workshop on the importance of agriculture education and teaching ag youth about where food, fiber and fuel comes from. Here presentation will be called “Rooted in purpose: The why and how of ag education,” and will show adults how they can teach children lasting lessons in agriculture that will prepare the next generation.
Day two women’s education
Day two of HPJ Live will include a women in agriculture advocacy panel, which will include a discussion on how women, can become more involved with leadership, promotion and advocacy of agriculture whether they sit in a tractor cab, work cattle, do the bookwork or bring meals to the field. The panelists will share their unique perspectives and share their experiences to inspire more women to take on vital roles within the industry.
Maddy Meier, director of communications and outreach at Kansas Grain Sorghum, will moderate the discussion. Nickell and Splitter, as well as Amy Peterson and Jacquelyne Leffler will serve as panelists.
Peterson is co-owner at Winsome Farms and will also take part in the “High yield success” farmer panel, also slated for Aug. 7. Peterson and her husband, Brant, operate a grain farm in Southwest Kansas and a cattle ranch in Southeast Colorado. Together, they’ve earned national recognition in the sorghum yield contest. Peterson is launching FarmsFull, a platform designed to support farmers, landowners, and rural professionals in navigating both the business and emotional sides of agriculture.
Leffler hails from Americus, Kansas, and works with her father on a fourth-generation farm and ranch, Leffler Farms. Her family raises stocker and feeder cattle and grows corn, soybeans, and wheat. In 2015, she launched Leffler Prime Performance to provide her community with high-quality beef at an affordable price. Through social media, she shares her love of agriculture, offers an inside look into her world, and connects with customers. Leffler is a member of Farm Bureau, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the Kansas Livestock Association and serves as vice president of the Lyon County Farm Bureau.
Rachel Tucker, a farmer florist, will round out the women’s education sessions with a breakout session called, “Flower farming in the nooks and crannies.” Tucker was born and raised in Montana, but she met the love of her life, a Nebraska farmer, and together they have raised four children. She always enjoyed growing plants, and her session will delve into how she found success in developing a flower farm that adds extra income and allows her to bloom professionally in a hobby she enjoys.
To learn more about the schedule, speakers, lodging, and to register, visit www.live.hpj.com. Registration is $125 or $75 for subscribers up until Aug. 5. Day of event registration pricing is $145 for all attendees. For more general information about the event, contact Emily Tintera at 314-805-1395 or [email protected]. To learn more about exhibiting or sponsoring HPJ Live, contact Jason Koenig at 314-873-3125 or [email protected].
