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FRANKFORT,
Ky. — Prominent women in government and business will
address the fifth annual Kentucky Women in Agriculture
state conference Nov. 3-5 at the Clarion Hotel &
Conference Center in Louisville.
Cindi
Sullivan of WHAS radio and WAVE-TV will speak at the
opening session Nov. 4. LaJuana Wilcher, secretary of
the Kentucky Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet,
will be the keynote speaker at the luncheon that day.
Kathy Cary, owner and chef of Lilly's and La Peche in
Louisville, will close the conference on Nov. 5.
First
Lady Glenna Fletcher will serve as honorary chairperson
of the Taste of Kentucky reception Nov. 4 and will deliver
opening remarks. The reception will feature entertainer
LaDonna Gatlin. Participating businesses will offer
Kentucky Proud shrimp, beef, ham, cheese, salsa, pickles,
produce, spirits and other products. Local chefs will
provide samples of recipes using Kentucky Proud foods.
Speakers
at the concurrent workshops will include Kentucky Secretary
of State Trey Grayson; Keith Rogers, executive director
of the Governor's Office of Agricultural Policy; Mary
Chambliss, deputy director of export credits with the
U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agriculture
Service; Dr. William Hacker, acting commissioner of
the Kentucky Department for Public Health; Jeff Hall,
state executive director of the Farm Service Agency;
state veterinarian Dr. Robert Stout, and Rayetta Boone
of the Kentucky Agriculture and Environment in the Classroom
program. M. Scott Smith, dean of the University of Kentucky
College of Agriculture, and Rodger Bingham, a contestant
in the CBS-TV "Survivor" series and the Kentucky
Department of Agriculture's deputy marketing director,
also are scheduled to speak during the conference.
Sessions
on business, marketing, government programs and other
topics will be offered. A microprocessing workshop and
a public policy institute are scheduled for Nov. 3.
Roundtable discussions on Nov. 5 will address more than
20 different topics.
In
Kentucky, women operated 8,274 farms that accounted
for more than $187 million in products sold, according
to the 2002 U.S. Census of Agriculture. The farm census
said 237,819 farms throughout the United States were
operated by women, up 13 percent from the 1997 census.
Registration
is due by Oct. 20. Tickets to attend only the Taste
of Kentucky reception are available for $20. For more
information, contact Kim Henken by e-mail at khenken@uky.edu
or by phone at (859) 257-7775 or log on to www.kywomeninag.com.
The
Kentucky Department of Agriculture is a co-sponsor of
the conference.
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