Nebraska women will learn how to plan and make better business decisions for farms, ranches, communities, families and themselves at the 32nd Women in Agriculture Conference, Feb. 23-24 at the Kearney Holiday Inn Conference Center, 110 S. Second Ave. in Kearney.

The Women in Agriculture Conference is one of the longest running women’s conferences of its kind in the country. The theme of the 2017 conference is "Women in Agriculture: The Heart of the Farm," and features a variety of workshops and speakers.

Conference keynote speaker Ron Hanson, emeritus professor of agricultural economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, will discuss "Continuing the Nebraska Legacy of Family Farming and Ranching" on Feb. 23. The talk will explore the importance and urgency of developing and implementing a succession plan for family farm and ranch operations. The talk is sponsored by Farm Credit Services of America.

Amanda Freund of East Canann, CT, is the capstone speaker on Feb. 24. Her talk, "Connected Across the Generations — Women in Agriculture," will focus on how to encourage women to be part of the agriculture industry. Also, Valerie Bayes of Monsanto will discuss the reasons to be an "Ag Advocate."

Five concurrent sessions will be held, offering participants more than 30 workshops to choose from. Session topics include: trends in Nebraska farmland values and rental rates, crop insurance, commodity and global marketing, Quicken bookkeeping, cash flow and cost control, tax planning, herbicide resistance, farm/ranch succession planning, and beef genetics as well as topics for personal care and growth.

Sessions on the evening of Feb. 23 will include time for networking, exercise and home redesign. Booth exhibitors will offer information that may also be useful in farm/ranch operation.

Registration is available online at wia.unl.edu or by sending a completed form with a check to UNL Agricultural Economics, 303 Filley Hall, Lincoln, NE, 68583-0922. For more information about the Women in Agriculture conference, including a registration book, go to wia.unl.edu.

Early registration, due by Feb. 13, is $125. Registration after Feb. 13 is $150. Fees include all workshop materials, registration, meals and breaks.Lodging is available by calling the Kearney Holiday Inn at 308-237-5971.

Conference sponsors include the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Nebraska Extension and the Department of Agricultural Economics as well as Farm Credit Services of America, Monsanto, Reinke Irrigation, and Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation and Foundation.