The annual Women in Agriculture Summit returns next Friday, with topics from cattle farming to gardening and weed prevention.
The Upper Cumberland Extension Team hosts the annual event, set this year for Liberty. Overton Ag Extension Agent Jason Garrett said the summit is a valuable opportunity for women to gain tangible skills in the industry and earn hands-on experience.
“It gives them a broader spectrum of, you know, what goes on, what they can get involved with and, you know, in their counties or they can bring back to their counties,” Garrett said. “It’s a little motivation. A lot of the motivational speakers we have, you know, are ladies that’s involved that may have never been raised at a farm or done anything agricultural-wise.”
Garrett said the event will offer networking opportunities with other female farmers and serve as a chance for women interested in agriculture to learn how to get started.
“As the years go by here at the extension office in over county, I see more women involved or interested in agriculture,” Garrett said. “It increases yearly. Anything from cattle farming to gardening to producing cut flowers to making value added products such as salsa and selling, you know, it’s just the increase is astronomical actually.”
Breakout sessions and presentations from keynote speakers will cover certain agricultural topics such as raised bed, gardening, weed controlling gardens, cattle and small remnant farming, according to Garrett.
As more folks vie for a homesteading lifestyle away from the din and bright lights of the city living, Garrett said he has seen interest for agriculture education explode in popularity.
“A lot of people have escaped the city life and they have moved all over this state,” Garrett said. “I see it here in over in county all the time. And they’ve bought 10 to 15 acres in some chances, instances more. So they are just wanting to get out.
The summit will be located at the Barn at Rolling Hills in Liberty. Garrett said newcomers are welcome.
“And a lot of them’s never even done it. They’ve never even done a garden. But they want to learn a lot of these traditions that we’ve had here established for years. They want to get involved with it. You know, they use unit UT extension for a lot of their references on how to do these agricultural practices.”