South Dakota: Women in ag invited to ‘Embrace the Journey”

Event June 11 provides opportunities for connection, learning and growth

Attending the Agriculture Women’s Day in Onida, June 11 will connect and inspire women involved in agriculture and rural communities. 

“Some ask, ‘Why is there a need for an Agricultural Women’s Day?’ ” Dawn Nagel, one of the event organizers, said. “These sessions provide tools for women who are part of the farm/ranch or a part of a rural community, but unfamiliar with some aspects of agriculture and the opportunities available. Traditionally, women worked away from their operation and weren’t involved in the day-to-day work, some worked both on the farm and off the farm and others may be directly involved in all aspects. These sessions will be beneficial to anyone. The day will be full of connection, learning, and growth focused on agriculture, health, legacy planning, and motivation/leadership.”

Registration is open now through June 2, 2025. The event will start at 8 a.m. with attendee check-in and vendor shopping at the Agar-Blunt-Onida School in Onida. Speakers will begin at 9 a.m. and finish by 4 p.m. On the Agricultural Women’s Day Facebook page, click on the main header to bring up the registration form. The cost of the event will be $20 this year. Make checks payable to the SD Ag Foundation and mail them to Agricultural Women’s Day, P.O. Box 51, Onida, SD 57564. Send questions to sdagwomensday@gmail.com.

Drawing from her experiences, Dawn said, “I’ve worked with individuals where the husband passes away, and the wife says ‘I don’t know what he did.’ The spouse may know who her husband’s contacts were, but she may not know how to pull together all those pieces to continue the operation. This is one example of the valuable information that will provide data for when and if something happens.”

As one who has attended the event in the past, VeaBea Thomas of Harrold said, “This event is such a great way for women of all ages and genres (men are also invited) to come together to network and just enjoy being together. Sometimes we just need a day to get away and celebrate our culture and lift each other up and ‘Embrace the Journey.’ “

She’s learned a great deal from the presentations. “In the past I’ve been inspired by the speakers who have come forward to share their personal stories of how they have overcome adversities in their lives or the lives of their families. These stories help to give each of us hope and to see that there is a way to brighter days. You never know when someone’s story is all it takes to pull you through a ‘rough time’ or even to inspire you to try something new and adventurous.”

VeaBea said, “We have great vendors lined up for this event. It’s exciting to support the women and men who take on ‘side gigs’ to help supplement farming/ranching operations. If you know of someone who would like to reserve a space for their business, those opportunities are open until May 27.”

Speakers will inspire

Working with farm families across the state, SDSU Community Vitality Field Specialist Peggy Schlechter loves small towns and rural life in South Dakota. As families seek to improve their bottom line, Peggy works with them to develop opportunities for ag tourism. Through SDSU’s Marketing Hometown America program, she spends time with the great people who live in rural communities. As she is involved in her family ranch, Peggy recognizes the struggles women may have, and she’ll share ways they can contribute. 

As she recognized a need in her area, Peggy Martin, from south of Midland, worked with Natural Resources Conservation Service  to fund her high tunnel/greenhouse project. She’ll explain why she started Cedar Creek Gardens to provide fresh produce for her local community and beyond. 

Peggy and her business partner, Bud Manke, grow vegetables, pumpkins, and melons on several acres and in five high tunnels. During the summer, they sell at four farmers’ markets per week and have a farm stand in Winner, SD. They deliver fresh produce to stores, restaurants, and hospitals along with offering Market boxes. 

Such enterprises, some on as little as a tenth of an acre of land, are part of urban agriculture, which is the cultivation, processing and distribution of agriculture products for those in urban areas. “That demand is growing in South Dakota,” Dawn said.

Personnel from the NRCS and Farm Service Agency (FSA) will also provide some educational information from the USDA. They hope to share about benefits offered through their agencies and encourage producers to recognize the potential resources available if they want to make some changes on the farm or for new visionaries entering agriculture. USDA provides technical help, available program opportunities, and more.

Taking time for self is one of the more difficult tasks for women. Sara Johnson will provide tips for women to address their mental challenges. She is the founder and owner of Growth and Gratitude, where she offers personalized coaching that nurtures both physical and emotional well-being. 

“Sara will share with us how to step back, refocus, and pull more energy into ourselves through each breath we take,” Dawn said. “She provides a phenomenal program which blends her knowledge as a nurse with a heart-centered approach to inner strength and well-being.” 

​As the legacy speaker, Onida attorney Josh Weinheimer will share information on Harvesting the Future: Estate Planning and Business Transition Tools for Farm Families. After getting his law degree and establishing his practice, he experienced first-hand unplanned life changing events that left his mom to manage the farm. 

Josh lived through the stress of handling such a situation. He will share tools one can use to plan how to move forward should that situation occur.

Dawn said the last speaker of the day will be Amy Dee of Amy Dee Speaks. “We cover heavy topics earlier in the day. It’s easy to get overwhelmed daily with the many hiccups tossed our way. With good and practical humor, Amy will provide a way to step back and embrace life.”

Her website shares, “She uses funny ‘we’ve all been there’ stories to connect, laugh and open up to the science of how we behave and our power to make different choices about how we treat each other (and ourselves). Obstacles can be problems or opportunities. We can use negative emotions as fuel for positive changes. And kindness always matters, especially in today’s rapidly changing and often frightening world.”

Providing this program for women in agriculture looks to build bridges between those who interact at the local coop/elevator/feed store. Traditionally, the husband did the farm labor, and the wife worked off the farm, often to provide health benefits. Providing this information to women can relieve pressure as they navigate stressful farm situations with their spouses, other family members, or friends walking through this journey.

“Whether it’s keeping the books, running for supplies, or working in a career to provide health insurance and living expenses, women are an important part of making the farm family work,” Dawn said. “More and more, it is a very capable daughter coming home to farm; we need to find a way for them to get the tools they need to do this. Providing information and an opportunity to network with like-minded women at this Agricultural Women’s Day can make that easier. Women can ‘Embrace the Journey’ working together.”  

Connie Sieh Groop of Frederick is a veteran journalist and writer who has focused on all aspects of the agriculture industry during her career. Conniegroop19@gmail.com