Coverage on AWC WEST 2018
May 16, 2018 • AWC: Darci Lang teaches AWC attendees to focus on the positive
AWC Speaker Darci Lang helped attendees at our March 2018 conference in Calgary shift their perspective to focus on the 90% of the positives in their lives. She shared touching personal stories and wonderful tips to help us move forward with joy.
Advancing Women Wednesday (Hashtag #AdvancingWomenWednesday)
May 15, 2018 • Building on your strengths to carve out a successful life in agriculture
Rural Roots Canada: “A leader with Corteva Agriscience says playing to your strengths and using your talents can lead to success in business and your personal life.
Sharyl Sauer is the North America and Platform Communications leader for Corteva Agriscience.
She spoke recently at the Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference in Calgary on the importance of using your talents to succeed in business and personal life and how to make sure they are not an obstacle.”
May 9, 2018 • AWC: The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and his wife Frances MacAulay at AWC WEST 2018
The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, attended the Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference in Calgary with his wife, Frances MacAulay in March 2018. This farm couple has run a family farm in Prince Edward Island since the 1970s, along with their three daughters. They delighted the audience with their shared experiences on the farm and answered questions from delegates during the AWC evening banquet.
Advancing Women Wednesday (Hashtag #AdvancingWomenWednesday)
May 1, 2018 • Women in Canada are choosing farming careers but barriers persist
Posted by CBC News: “It was Nicole Fossheim’s grandfather who first decided to set down roots near Edson, Alta., and start a family farm. Her dad followed in his father’s bootsteps, raising cattle and a family of five on the land.
But when the time comes to pass the family business down to the next generation of Fossheims, she’s not expecting her brother to inherit the mantle…”
April 25, 2018 • Iris Meck isn’t Afraid to Step Out of Her Comfort Zone
Posted by Germination, Marc Zienkiewicz: “Iris Meck might not work directly in the seed industry, but that’s not stopping her from having a big influence on it.
Meck, owner of Iris Meck Communications, is helping put the seed sector’s women in the spotlight by creating the Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference that takes place twice a year — once in Western Canada and once in the East.
The event brings women in agriculture and food together from across Canada and parts of the U.S. including business experts, motivational and inspirational leaders and industry representatives. It marked its fifth anniversary in Calgary earlier this year and has become known for putting women in seed in the spotlight.”
April 19, 2018 • Good nutrition can help battle stress
Posted by The Western Producer, Barbara Duckworth: “Nutrition has become complicated and people are often confused about what to eat, nutritionist Leslie Beck told a crowd at the Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference. People are looking for ways to manage stress, get more energy and stay healthy, which can be achieved with proper nutrition, she said at the event held in Calgary March 26-27…”
April 17, 2018 • Why Art Froehlich Wants to Grow the Number of Women on Ag Boards
Posted by Germination, Germination Videos: Art Froehlich, President of AgriView Inc. talks with Janet Kanters at the Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference held in Calgary, Alberta from March 26 & 27, 2018.
April 3, 2018 • Advancing Women in Agriculture West Conference Inspires and Informs
Posted by Industry West: “The 2018 Advancing Women in Agriculture West conference was a vibrant, fun and engaging affair. Held in Calgary March 26 and 27, the conference attracted delegates and speakers from across the country. The downtown Hyatt Regency provided a fitting backdrop, with its assortment of prairies-influenced paintings by Canadian artists and historical photos of Indigenous tribes…”
March 28, 2018 • The Sprout: Grain transportation updates, committee meetings, crops symposium
Posted by iPolitics: ICYMI: Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay was joined by his wife at the Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference in Calgary on Tuesday, where they spoke about the role of women in the sector and how Budget 2018’s Women Entrepreneurship Strategy is aimed at better supporting women entrepreneurs.
March 27, 2018 • Minister MacAulay participates in Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada: “The Government of Canada recognizes the important role women play in the agriculture and agri-food sector, as well as the Canadian economy at large. This is why Budget 2018 launched the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy to better support women entrepreneurs, to help them grow their businesses and to remove barriers to their success…”
March 27, 2018 • Advancing Women in Agriculture West Conference: Day 1 Wrap
Rural Roots Canada: Rural Roots Canada’s Craig Lester and Alberta Young Farmers and Ranchers’ Lacey McCrae talk about Day 1 of the Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference in Calgary. March 26, 2018
March 26, 2018 • Sharyl Sauer – Corteva Agriscience
Rural Roots Canada: “Corteva Agriscience North America and Platform Communications Leader Sharyl Sauer talks about the importance in playing to your strengths and how that will lead to success in business. She also talks about why she enjoys Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference.”
March 26, 2018 • Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference West: Speaker Rachael Harder, MP for Lethbridge
Rural Roots Canada: “Rachael Harder, Member of Parliament for Lethbridge, talks about her personal journey to her now role as an MP. Harder spoke at the Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference on how women are powerful, free and have the ability to impact the world. The only barriers they face are the ones they place in front of themselves.”
March 22, 2018 • AWC, Canadian Grain Commission
Contributed by Cheryl Prokosh: “There is a rapid pace to the changes in Agriculture,” shared Jolene Brown a thriving farmer from Iowa, “in which the consumer values time, youth, health, safety, and experience.”
For the 430 women that gathered at the Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference in Niagara Falls, October 30-31st, this was an unforgettable opportunity to learn and network with talented, skilled, knowledgeable and passionate women leaders from more than 200 organizations…”
March 15, 2018 • Women in Ag to Tell Their Stories at Upcoming Conference
Posted by Marc Zienkiewicz of GERMINATION: “Saskatchewan’s Cami Ryan finds herself in an interesting place these days — Missouri, where she works as social sciences lead with Monsanto’s Regulatory Policy and Scientific Affairs department.
It would be an understatement to refer to her career as an adventure, considering she’s not a farmer but comes from a farming family. She’s not a scientist in the traditional sense. Yet her influence is huge. She has quite a story to tell, and she’ll join a full slate of others at the fifth annual Advancing Women in Agriculture (AWC) western conference in Calgary taking place March 26-27 to tell it…”
March 15, 2018 • Advancing Women in Ag Conference
Posted by Sara Stricker: “In 2016 I had the opportunity to attend the Advancing Women in Ag Conference in Toronto, ON. Thanks to the sponsorship of Dr. Catherine Mavriplis, the Chair for Women in Science and Engineering at NSERC, I received the AWC Student Sponsorship…”
March 7, 2018 • Minister MacAulay Speaking at Advancing Women In Agriculture Conference
Posted by Farms.com: With the Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference (AWC) celebrating its 5th anniversary in Calgary this month, the invitation list just added two important guests.
AWC announced today that Lawrence MacAulay, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, has confirmed he will be attending the AWC Calgary event with his wife, Frances MacAulay. This farm couple has run a family farm in Prince Edward Island since the 1970s, along with their three daughters. They will share their experiences with delegates during the AWC evening banquet.
March 7, 2018 • AWC welcomes Lawrence MacAulay, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
AWC News Release: AWC welcomes Lawrence MacAulay, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food to speak at AWC being held on March 26&27, 2018 at the Hyatt Regency Calgary.
February 21, 2018 • Calling All Women in Agriculture
On Air with Country 106.5: “The countdown is on for the 5th Annual Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference … The conference will take place in Calgary late next month and Host Iris Meck says women in the agricultural come from all over Canada, let alone Alberta, to attend.”
February 6, 2018 • Connecting Women in Agriculture
Article posted by Jessica Giles of High River Online: “Women in agriculture will have the opportunity to network and be motivated at an upcoming event.The Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference will be held March 26 to 27 at the Hyatt Regency in Calgary. Host of the event, Iris Meck, says it’s a great opportunity to be inspired by women who have reached great heights in their careers.”
January 31, 2018 • Be Brave: Ag leader encourages women to take the next step to achieve professional success
Article posted by Rural Roots Canada: “I think the big thing that I have seen (change over the years) is a mentor and a training program that we’ve developed and also a willingness of our senior staff and the senior managers in our company to continue to work to develop training programs, said Kaplan. “The women were willing to jump at the chance to take these opportunities and get involved in these training programs.”
Jan 9, 2018 • Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference – Video by Rural Roots
In this video by Rural Roots Canada, we hear from three women who attended the most recent Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference. Listen as Tracey Shelton (Richardson International), Dianne Finstad (Master of Ceremonies AWC) and Trish Booy (BMO) talk about the benefits of attending an Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference and what they got from attending.
Nov 20, 2017 • Hanne Nauwelaerts, AWC: A Powerful Source for Growth
Article posted by Bioenterprise: The majority of my work experience has been obtained on my family farm. Growing up and working in this environment motivated me to pursue an education in agriculture; I am currently a third-year Food and Agricultural Business student at the University of Guelph. This past summer I completed my first co-op work term as Operations Assistant at a farrow-to-finish hog operation.
Nov 2017 • Jolene Brown, on The Journey with Sisters in Ag
Article posted by PinkTractor.com: At the recent Advancing Women in Agriculture Conferences in Calgary and Niagara Falls, I had a chance to bring 900+ Sisters in Agriculture messages of hope, humor and help. I listened to stories and answered questions. And of course, I got to be the student, learning from other presenters and hallway interactions. I treasure both the mission of these leadership events for women in agriculture and the conversations with their extraordinary creator and event planner, Iris Meck.
Oct 24, 2017 • Alberta Farmer—All the iron is still there, but Agri-Trade has a new dimension
There’s still acres of farm equipment to be seen, but also an opportunity to upgrade your personal skill set: When you think of a farm equipment show, a motivational speaker talking about personal development might not spring to mind. But it’s exactly what women who attend Agri-Trade said they wanted to see at the popular Red Deer event.
Sep 30, 2017 • Advancing Women in Agriculture: By Laura Wiens, CAAR
Article posted by CAAR: Since it began in 2014, the AWC has seen 3,000 women attend six conferences, with approximately 450 to 600 women at each conference.
Sep 21, 2017 • Here’s what women are saying about AWC!
Nice to hear from women who’ve been to our conference. Great feedback!
“For 150 years, women have been making valuable contributions to Canada’s agricultural industry – and Iris Meck, host of the Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference (AWC), is encouraging Canadians to celebrate farm women by sharing photos and stories on social media, using the hashtag #Canada150FarmWomen.