Morrisville State professor, agricultural advocate to speak at New Hampshire expo

Morrisville State professor Sheila Marshman will be the keynote speaker during the 2014 New Hampshire Women in Agriculture Conference at the New Hampshire Farm & Forest Expo Feb. 7-8 in Manchester, NH.



Marshman, assistant professor of agricultural business, will discuss the role of women in agriculture and strategies for areas of risk management during her presentation titled, “One Million Strong and Growing.”



The New Hampshire Farm & Forest Expo provides information and education on all aspects of agriculture and forestry by bringing the state's farming and communities together to share ideas and views on industry needs. The exposition includes workshops, presentations, a trade show and various demonstrations.



A recognized agricultural advocate, Marshman, of Oxford, is president of the New York Agri-Women Association, which works on issues affecting the agriculture industry. Her extensive agricultural experience includes attending the International Agricultural Economics Conference in Beijing, China and participating in a food system tour of rural China as an invited guest of the Renmin University of China. The trip prompted much of her advocacy and education for a local food system in the United States.



Marshman was also previously asked to present during the fifty-sixth session of the Commission on the Status of Women held at the United Nations (UN), and was the keynote speaker for American Agri-Women 38th annual meeting in November 2013. In 2010, she was named Agricultural Advocate of the Year by Commerce Chenango.



On the college campus, Marshman developed the college's four-year degree in agricultural business development and started Morrisville Fresh, an LLC operated and managed by agricultural business students. Through Morrisville Fresh, agricultural business students work closely with the college's Dairy Incubator and Nelson Farms (food processing facilities), adding value to locally grown commodity-based products. Students have produced their own product line comprised of sauces, dips, aquaponic lettuce, ice cream and cheddar cheese, all made with New York ingredients. They also market their products on campus, to restaurants, and at area farmers' markets.



Marshman resides with her husband, John, on his family's sixth-generation dairy farm founded in 1856. The farm has received numerous local, state and national awards for its contributions to agriculture and the food system.



A graduate of the New York State Food and Agricultural Leadership Program (LEADNY Class 11) housed at Cornell University, Marshman is also actively involved in her community, currently serving as chair of the Town of Oxford Zoning Board of Appeals. She also holds numerous leadership positions in various agricultural organizations and is a former board member of FarmLink/FarmNet.



Marshman, who has been at Morrisville State since 2000, earned an M.B.A. from Le Moyne College and completed post graduate work at Cornell University and the University at Albany. She is currently completing her Ph.D. in management.