Roblin, Manitoba (Rural Roots Canada) – When Danielle Rands attended her first Advancing Women in Agriculture (AWC) Conference in March, she expected two days of speakers and sessions. Instead, it became a turning point for her.

“I came away from that event a totally different person,” says Rands. “There’s that saying that you can’t go home again, and you’re not going to be the same person when you go home. This was very much true for that event.”

The AWC immediately instilled in her a sense of community and, most importantly, capability. With 15 years in the agriculture industry, Rands had faced and pushed through all kinds of barriers, but the conference sharpened her self-belief.

“I went into it thinking, I’m just measly me, and I came out of it feeling just how capable I was. I came away from the AWC with a lot of contacts, speaking with a lot of the speakers and them actually continuing to speak with me, having video chats with me, some of us working on various ideas together, just having that network of people that I can talk to and gain advice from, and also knowing they can come to me for advice, too,” Rands says.

READ MORE: Grow, Lead, Connect: AWC East 2025 Unites Women in Ag in Niagara Falls 

Shortly after the conference wrapped up, Rands was presented with a new job opportunity that she decided to jump on. “I ended up leaving the job I was in and going for another one. I went from a more junior to a senior position. It was just stuff that I would have probably shied away from prior to that event.”

Rands now works for Empire Commodities Trading Company, a small firm of three people. “Like they say, dynamite comes in small packages,” she says.

For those considering attending the AWC, Rands’ advice is clear. “If you have the chance, go. It’s worth every penny to be there. Be open to anything, be open to what they’re talking about. Sometimes it’s not all about our career.”

She also credits the event’s founder, Iris Meck, for bringing together a diverse group of women. “It takes a real leader to bring women together in the way she has and the speakers that she has. There were women of every age, and I think I spoke to women of all ages. I was helping university students with homework, and then going to women who were in far more senior positions than me and just learning from them and asking questions.”

“Just be extremely open to every opportunity that can come to you on that stage.”

The next Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference takes place in Niagara Falls, November 23, 24, & 25.

For more information and to register, click here.