WESTFIELD, Ind. – Organizers of a presentation during the Indiana Farm Equipment & Technology Expo on land ownership issues for women hope attendees walk away with resources and answers to questions often raised at such sessions.

“We will discuss the value of conversations, what legacy you want to leave, how to talk to your farmer or your landowner, family, resource people and what programs may be available to landowners,” said Heather Bacher, Indiana state coordinator for Women4theLand. “My hope is to let everyone in the audience know about the options and resources available to them. And I hope everyone has the tools they need to make long-term goals and plans for their land.”

The session will be at 11 a.m. Dec. 15. The Expo is Dec. 13-15 at the Grand Park Events Center in Westfield.

Brianne Lowe, state biologist with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Indiana, said as more women become landowners, or have dual ownership, they’re going to have to make decisions about the property.

“We hope this information will help empower them to make the decision that’s right for them,” she explained. “They have questions about how to judge the value of their land. They have deep concerns about conservation and the legacy of the land. They might have questions about timber and habitat management. Based on their values, they want to know how to best operate their land. We want to help them understand that what their values are for the land are important.”

Women4theLand is an initiative of the Indiana Conservation Partnership, a group of several conservation agencies and organizations working within Indiana to promote conservation, Bacher said. Women4theLand uses learning circles to provide information in a comfortable, informal setting where a small group of women learn from professional conservationists as well as from each other, she said.

“A large portion of women landowners are over the age of 65, and an increasing number are single owners, who may not have been involved in farm management decisions or operations in the past,” Bacher noted. “Some are returning to the farm and others are beginning farmers with little or no farming experience.”

Women who attend similar sessions often ask what they can do to see that their land stays productive and sustainable, Bacher said. They want to know who they can talk with about their concerns and where they can find information about all their options. Landowners want to know how they can talk with their farmers about conservation and farmers want to know the best way to approach landowners.

Lowe said some women simply don’t know where to begin. “One thing we want to do is give women the proper language. They may not know what a drill is, what a cover crop is. We don’t want them to be intimidated. They may not want to approach the tenant. If a tenant talks about switching to no-till, we want the landowner to be able to say she knows what that means.”

Even though the session is titled Land Ownership Issues for Women, Bacher and Lowe said men are also welcome to attend.

“While most of our educational programs are solely for women, we hope that both men and women attend our panel discussion at this year’s Expo,” Bacher stated. “The gentlemen there should tell the women in their lives about Women4theLand.”

Lowe said organizers are happy to see men in attendance. “We hope they realize this would be a really good resource for their sister, mother, daughter, wife,” she said. “We all learn differently. Circles are a more welcoming place for women. Research has shown that men prefer someone talking while standing in front of a group with a power point presentation. Women prefer more lateral conversations, talking with each other. A small group is a lot less intimidating.”

This is the first year the Expo has offered such a presentation, said Gary Truitt, the event’s president.

“We’re seeing in the ag industry more women involved in operating the farm,” he said. “We’re seeing more women involved in land ownership. We’re also seeing more women coming to the show. It used to be just the guys. We’re seeing more families as the younger generation comes in. We’re seeing a husband and wife, or husband and wife and a kid or two.”

For more information on Women4theLand, visit https://women4theland.org/.