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GALESBURG, Ill. — The 2022 Women Changing the Face of Agriculture career exploration event will be held in-person at Carl Sandburg College in Galesburg on March 4. Registration for the event is now open.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, registration limitations have been put into place. Each school or organization is limited to five student registrants and one chaperone registration.
The following counties have priority registration for the event: Adams, Brown, Bureau, Cass, Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Livingston, Logan, Marshall, Mason, McDonough, McLean, Menard, Mercer, Peoria, Putnam, Rock Island, Sangamon, Schuyler, Stark, Tazewell, Warren and Woodford.
Registration will close on Feb. 18, or earlier if maximum capacity limits are met. To register for the event, visit womenchangingthefaceofagriculture.com.
Mask and social distance mandates are subject to change as the event approaches.
This year’s event will include a rotation through career panels, opportunities to network with professionals and a keynote speaker. In addition, WCFA will recognize scholarship recipients as well as other award winners.
The 2022 event keynote speaker is Amanda Radke from Mitchell, South Dakota. Radke is a fifth-generation rancher who has dedicated her career to serve as a voice for the beef industry, as well as agriculture as a whole.
Radke will share her thoughts on mindset development, agriculture advocacy, youth development and dynamics on multi-generational family agribusinesses.
The WCFA event was first held in 2010. In the last 12 years, more than $50,000 in scholarships have been awarded and more than 6,500 high school girls have attended.
Penny Lauritzen, Illinois Agri-Women member and chair of the event, has been involved in the event since its inception.
“We are excited to meet back in-person with professionals and students this year,” she said. “The event’s impact has historically brought about phenomenal career opportunities for young women and we look forward to continuing this legacy.”
WCFA is a project of Illinois Agri-Women which showcases a career exploration event for young women interested in agriculture.
This event strives to give women the opportunity to explore different career paths, interact with industry professionals and receive accurate information first hand from women in agriculture.