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press release Women in Ag conference.(fwd)

ply-To: Conference "chrm.general" <chrm-general@igc.apc.org>

Hi folks -  Here is a fresh release about  our participants at the 
Women in Ag conference.


------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
Date:          Thu, 09 Jul 1998 16:09:19 -0700
From:          Cris Carusi <crisc@navix.net>
Organization:  Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society
Subject:       press release


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE			CONTACT:	Cris Carusi
July 8, 1998						402-471-0817


Nebraska Women Attend International Conference on Women in Agriculture

	Three Nebraska women traveled to Washington D.C. last week to share
with women from around the world their hopes and strategies for
sustaining family farms. 
	Linda Kleinschmit of Bow Valley, Billene Nemec of Prague, and Mary Rose
Pinkelman of Wynot attended the Second International Conference on Women
in Agriculture, held from June 28 through July 2 at the Omni Shoreham
Hotel in Washington, D.C. 
	The event, which was sponsored by the President's Interagency Council
on Women, drew more than 1,000 women from 50 countries. Keynote
presenters included U.S. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman and Tipper
Gore, wife of Vice President Al Gore. 
	"This conference was about women coming together to share and gain a
broader understanding of their place in the food system, and in
agriculture worldwide," said Kleinschmit, who manages an organic farm
with her husband. 
	Kleinschmit, Nemec, and Pinkelman represented groups in their
communities which participate in the Nebraska IMPACT Project. The IMPACT
Project helps Nebraska's family farms and communities thrive through
responsible, profitable farming, community improvement, and leadership
development. The women's participation in the conference was supported
by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the USDA Sustainable Agriculture
Research and Education Program.
	Pinkelman represented the Midwest region as a panelist in a workshop on
"Sustaining Women Farmers in America: Work, Hopes and Challenges."
Pinkelman, who has farmed on a third generation family farm for 27
years, shared her hope for future generations of farmers as well as the
challenges she and her husband face in the process of transitioning
their farm to two of their sons.
	Pinkelman stressed that ethics play an important role in making the
transition to the next generation of farmers. She emphasized that the
farm management decisions we choose now will impact future generations.
"By being ethical and farming with accountability for our actions, we
will have land to hand down to the next generation," she said. "If we
ignore ethics, I don't know what we will have to give them."
	All three women felt that a highlight of the conference was meeting
people from different countries and learning about their agriculture.
They found that farmers worldwide have similar concerns about sustaining
small farms and rural communities, even though they may live in
extremely different cultures and circumstances. Through the conference,
the women realized the importance of working together to address these
problems.
	"The conference helped me better understand how we are interconnected
globally," commented Kleinschmit. " We need to care about people in
other countries and work together to address agricultural issues."
	Nemec, who manages the Haymarket Farmers Market in Lincoln and raises
organic produce, enjoyed learning about marketing strategies which can
help small farms succeed in an increasingly global economy. These
strategies include direct marketing, farmers' markets, and the
development of value-added cooperatives. 
	Nemec stressed that links between farmers and consumers must be built
in order for innovative marketing strategies to help small farms. "We
have to go out and educate the consumer to develop our markets," she
said. "We have to link together with consumers, whether it be through
setting up farmers' markets or developing cooperatives."
	"The conference reinforced my belief that we not only have to work
together as farmers, we have to work with processors and marketers to
make sure that everyone gets their fair share of the food dollar and
ensure food safety," added Kleinschmit.
	According to Kleinschmit, the conference raised the importance of
cooperation in the effort to sustain family farms. As the numbers of
family farms decline, it becomes increasingly critical for farmers to
work together to address the problems they face.
	"People have power if they come together and work together," she
stressed. "This conference reinforced the power of community."


Contacts:
Mary Rose Pinkelman: 402-357-3330
Linda Kleinschmit: 402-254-3310
Billene Nemec: 402-435-7496

-- 
Cris Carusi
Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society
1200 N St., Suite 610
Lincoln, NE  68508
402-471-0817
fax 402-471-8690
crisc@navix.net



Wyatt Fraas, Martin Kleinschmit

Beginning Farmer Sustainable Agriculture Project
Center for Rural Affairs
PO Box 736
Hartington, NE USA 68739
402 254-6893  fax -6891
wyattf@cfra.org, martink@cfra.org
http://www.cfra.org