Nearly 250 high school students converged on Carl Sandburg College in March for one of the biggest agriculture conferences in the state for young people. There was, however, just one catch.
No boys allowed.
Sandburg hosted the 2022 edition of Women Changing the Face of Agriculture, an event organized by Illinois Agri-Women that gives young women an opportunity to explore the many career paths offered in the ag sector. The occasion brought in students from dozens of schools across Illinois, about 40 representatives from all areas of the industry and nearly 50 high school FFA advisors and ag instructors. Sandburg will host the annual event again on March 3, 2023.
“I loved getting a chance to talk to others who are equally as passionate about the ag field as I am,” said Abby Simpson, a student in Sandburg’s agriculture program who was a volunteer and group guide for the event. “This was such a good way to network. There are way more women who are in leadership roles that we would previously have seen men in, and that’s my favorite part.”
For Simpson, a Farmington native who hopes to transfer to a fouryear school and study ag business, taking part in the conference paid off in a big way. She met with a representative from Martin Tractor, which directly led to getting a marketing internship at its Galesburg location this summer.
“I had actually been looking for internships and was really frustrated because the only ones I could find were up in Chicago or way down south,” Simpson said. “This was an amazing opportunity because it’s so close to home and it’s right here. I was super excited, especially because I don’t know exactly what I want to do (for a career), so an internship was definitely the way to figure that out.”
Attendees discussed the growing role of women in the industry, were able to network with professionals throughout the region and examined careers available in agriculture such as business, education, agronomy, food science, engineering, communications and more. Keynote speaker Amanda Radke shared her story of how she came to be an author who advocates for agriculture literacy while also balancing the responsibilities of being a mother and a farmer.
“Some of the ladies who were there to talk about their job and what they do and how they got there, it’s really inspiring to listen to,” Simpson said. “It’s a chance for (young women) to understand how they got there and how if they find something interesting, they could take those same steps and end up there too.”
To host your organization’s next conference or event at Sandburg, email lhuber@sandburg.edu.
Read this story and more in the 2022 edition of the Sandburg Magazine