In response to continued high levels of both personal and financial farm stress, the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Dairy Team is making available a northwest Iowa “Farm Couple Getaway.”
The getaway is aimed at farmers wanting to take advantage of activities to improve farm family communication, work on farm or family goal-setting, farm transition or just would like a weekend away to discuss farm and farm family issues. The 2022 getaway will be Feb 25 to 26 at the Cobblestone Inn & Suites, 2011 Indorf Ave., Holstein, Iowa.
This is one of three getaways scheduled across Iowa in 2022.
The “getaways” run from 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 25 to 3:15 p.m. on Feb. 26. There is no cost to attend the program as food, lodging and other expenses are being paid for by sponsorships. However, there is a $50 per couple deposit to hold each reservation, refundable on the second day of the getaway.
"Past ‘Farm Couple Getaways’ have proven to be beneficial to farm couples. They are a time to discuss items of importance to help farms and families be successful”, says Larry Tranel, ISU Extension dairy field specialist. Dairy Specialist Fred Hall says past getaways have had couples ranging from newlyweds to grandparents and enterprises including beef, dairy poultry, swine and row-crop producers.”
The getaway will consist of 10 farm couples plus Extension facilitators. Registration will be on a first come, first serve basis with registrations and checks due into the Cherokee County Extension office on Feb. 15.
A registration brochure is available here, and more information can be obtained from: Cherokee and surrounding counties, Jen Gaydo, 712-225-6196, [email protected]; Ida and surrounding counties, Krista Lukins, 712-364-3003, [email protected]; all other counties, Fred Hall, 712-737-4230, [email protected]; and state-wide, Larry Tranel, 563-58306496, [email protected].