GRAND RAPIDS — More than 150 women of all ages spent the better part of Friday at the 16th annual Women in Agriculture Conference held at Nazareth Hall.
FFA students, joined farm wives as well as owners and a few ladies who have retired from the field for breakout sessions in the morning, lunch, and a keynote speaker that drew both laughter and tears from her audience.
One breakout session was targeted specifically for the FFA members.
The keynote speaker was Melissa Hart, a fifth generation farm wife and motivational speaker from southern Michigan. Hart also is a freelance writer for agricultural publications. Hart and her husband operate a dairy farm with registered Holsteins.
Hart shared personal stories of her faith, inspiration, and a near tragedy involving her young son in a farm accident, during her talk entitled, “Never Give Up.”
“Every single one of you has a purpose,” Hart told the women and challenged them to stay true to that purpose in their lives.

At one point, she addressed the young FFA members and drew plenty of laughter when she told them to forget about boyfriends for now. Hart said she is consistent as she tells her sons to forget about girlfriends, as well.
The speaker stressed there is a plan for each person and while she related the plan to her faith in God,  she said regardless of one’s faith, they should be true to their own plan.
“You are unique and you need to follow your own path,” Hart said.
She followed with a plea for them to be passionate, as well.
“That passion drives you down your path. The passion is what’s inside you,” she affirmed. “We need all that passion.”
Taking a tangent, Hart urged all those in attendance to be alert and passionate about recent news of the Humane Society of the United States “making a big fuss” in Ohio similar to legislation enacted in California last year regarding restrictions on livestock farms.
“HSUS has more money and they have more passion,” she warned. “The enemy is here to seek, kill and destroy you.”
Hart summarized her talk noting, “Life is a bumpy road, but you can’t give up.”
Roughly a dozen Otsego FFA members were in attendance. They indicated their enjoyment of the event.
“It was really exciting to be around all these women who are part of the life you want to lead,” said Emily Limes, a junior at Otsego.
She noted the accomplished people and great speakers who were part of the conference.  She also noted her enjoyment of the FFA session where they heard from former FFA officers and their experiences.
“It was really good experience and all the speakers were really interesting,” said Otsego senior Kacey Podolak, “Their stories ... really affected me and wanted me to strive more. They made me realize how much I need to push to keep 4-H and FFA as high priorities in the government.”
She added it felt good to know that all those in attendance had shared common experiences.
Elizabeth Strow was extremely pleased with the conference. The Custar resident was a member of the planning committee, and thoroughly enjoyed the activities of the day.
As a farm owner, though not active on the farm, Strow said she went to a “Liability on the Farm” session where “I picked up some information that would be helpful to us.”
She also attended a session on designs for the home and a popular session called “Quick Beauty Tips and Hair Ideas.”
“The whole day was great, it’s been a treat to come here,” said Strow.
She estimates she has attended for the last nine or 10 years.
Doris Herringshaw, OSU Extension, assisted in the planning and organization, was pleased with the programs and the attendance.
“We seem to be meeting the needs of the farm wives,” Herringshaw said.
Other sessions included landscaping grain marketing, developing a farm brand, and property taxes.
———
On the Net:
Melissa Hart’s blog:
http://knolltopfarmwife.blogspot.com