8/29/16 - 8/31/16 Springfield, Mo "Paradise In The Ozarks"
The Ramada Inn Oasis is gorgeous and was a fun setting for this conference. Monday kicked off with vendors and a fun luau setting for individual or group pics. Ladies had the choice to attend Holistic Farming-Rotational Beef & Poultry, Young Living Essential Oils, Soil Health with Ray Archuleta, Organic Gardening/Pest Management, Electric Fencing with MFA and Harvest Finds – Tips and Treasurers for the Home. The banquet was a luau theme and many ladies came dressed for the occasion. Nick, Ruell and Abbey were the wonderful entertainment, singing old and new songs as well as playing various instruments. More entertainment was gained as beach balls came across the crowd and the ladies really got into passing them on. Following the banquet the Hospitality Room and Silent Auction were open giving everyone a chance to mingle, visit, place bids and make more friends.
Ladies loaded onto 4 motorcoaches on Tuesday, which caravanned to the Talbot Conservation Area. Ladies were able to load up on hay wagons and trailers and took a small tour of the area. It was then time to load back on the motorcoaches and the next travel landed the ladies at the Springfield Livestock Marketing Center for lunch and speaker. The final destination took the ladies to Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company. This was an exciting adventure. Tours led the way to see the crops grown, saw a demonstration how to bag corn, watch the mechanics work to packet the seed and how orders are fulfilled. As well, ladies were able to see the restaurant and visit many small shops including an old-time mercantile, herbal apothecary, blacksmith shop, western jail and see the poultry & livestock too. Ladies then loaded back up to head back to the Ramada Oasis where some took the evening option to visit the Pythian Castle for a ghost tour. As always the hospitality room and silent auction were open for the ladies to enjoy rest of the evening.
Wednesday opened with the Impacts of Missouri Weather on Agriculture by the National Weather Service. It was fitting after ½ an hour or so multiple phones started going off with a flood warning for the area. This made the session a memorable one! Ladies then had free time to check out and ended with an amazing closing session with Ashley Reynolds with KY3. Ashley hit many topics of various scams and getting the word out. This was a very interactive session and was beneficial for the ladies to hear of these scams in order to become more aware and protect themselves from fraud.
The torch was passed to Central for the 2017 WIA State Conference. Sandy Stratman, Maries County, accepted the torch and briefly spoke to the ladies and announced the conference may be around Lake of the Ozarks area.
Paradise in the Ozarks Registration Brochure
2016 Women In Ag Gallery
