WEST DES MOINES, IOWA - May 2, 2013 - Unusually-cold spring weather is causing new concerns for Iowa's delayed planting season; the 2012 drought depleted the nation's reserves  making this year's crop a crucial one for global market exports, biofuel production and livestock farmers, according to the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF).

"The nation's farmers, biofuels makers and grain exporters will all be affected if another crop falls short of expectation," says IFBF economist Dave Miller. "But, if the weather turns around and our record corn and soybean acres see record yields, that would likely swamp grain markets and drive down prices for crop farmers; we're in an unusually crucial situation this year."

Miller added, "Are we standing on the edge of a cliff?  With another short crop, we can't adjust exports down much further...therefore, where would the next adjustment come from? We saw the first contraction in biofuels production in seven years, because of last year's drought.  Exports have also been a point of adjustment in past major crop shortfalls; all these things send ripple effects through our entire industry and that means consumers could feel it, too."

Helping Iowa farmers manage market risks like these and discussing farm policy challenges will be a key theme in the 2013 IFBF Economic Summit "Grain, Gridlock and Globalization: Meeting the Economic Challenges in Today's Agriculture," which will be held July 22 and 23 in Ames.  The two-day summit brings nationally-known experts on crop and livestock market trends, exports and commodity price experts to the Iowa State Center Scheman Building on the Iowa State University campus.

"Clearly, there are many unpredictable factors out there impacting farmers; most delayed planting seasons are regional in nature; however this year, because of wild weather, the entire grain producing region is impacted.  But we also have record land prices, a crop that is vastly more expensive to produce, an uncertain political climate with no new Farm Bill and emerging trade challenges.  All affect our ability to grow food, fiber and fuel," says IFBF President Craig Hill.

National experts ranging from economists Allen Featherstone of Kansas State University, Michael Boehlje from Purdue, export and policy analyst Ross Korves and ag meteorologist Elwynn Taylor are among many nationally-recognized monetary, policy, trade and economic experts tapped for the July IFBF Economic Summit.

For a complete listing of the panelists and schedule, click here: www.iowafarmbureau.com.

The price of the two-day summit is $50 for Iowa Farm Bureau members and $150 for non-members.  Information about the summit, lodging and online registration forms can be found at www.iowafarmbureau.com.

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About Iowa Farm Bureau

The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation is a grassroots, statewide organization dedicated to enhancing the People, Progress and Pride of Iowa.  More than 153,000 families in Iowa are Farm Bureau members, working together to achieve farm and rural prosperity.  For more information about Farm Bureau and agriculture, visit the online Newsroom page atwww.iowafarmbureau.com.

"I commend the nine members of the House Committee who today voted to address the biggest challenge facing our state.

"Illinois' economy will not fully recover until the General Assembly passes this comprehensive pension reform and sends the bill to my desk.

"Now is the time to take this major step to restore fiscal stability to Illinois.

"Every day that goes by, the unfunded liability grows by $17 million.

"The taxpayers of Illinois are waiting. Let's get the job done."

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June Jewell, a CPA and owner of Acuity Business Solutions consulting, says the architectural, engineering and environmental firms she works for easily lose $100,000 each year through inefficient and ineffective practices.

"Of course, sometimes the waste is much, much more - and this goes for larger and smaller businesses," says Jewell, author of "Find the Lost Dollars: 6 Steps to Increase Profits in Architecture, Engineering, and Environmental Firms," (www.FindTheLostDollars.com). "The problems are usually so fundamental to a business that they will never see why and how they're bleeding money; they're too close."

There are several nooks and crannies in which firms are apt to lack efficiency. Jewell reviews three general areas where most of these firms can turn unnecessary losses to gains:

• Company culture: While the culture may vary somewhat from one firm to another, architectural, engineering and environmental firms share some of the same characteristics. One is that their founders tend to go into business because they're creative people who love what they do -- not because they're business people. So they don't focus on profits, and they tend to be casual managers with regard to employees' time. Shifting the culture to a focus of being profitable is not only necessary for sustaining the business; it allows creative people to do more of what they love.

•  Ineffective practices: Of course, there are many moving parts in an A&E firm, which means there are many potential areas for improvement. That includes customer service, time management, marketing, strategic planning, accurate budgets and estimates, and the cost of lost opportunities. Failure to create an accurate, meticulous job estimate, for instance, can have multiple consequences, from having disappointed clients to jeopardize projects to losing money because time, materials and other costs were not accurately forecast.

• Systems & IT: This is the third way to improve business management and increase profits. Technology is able to help companies leverage their resources more effectively, yet many of them are still using outdated software and non-integrated systems. By looking at systems as a strategic investment that can help them to be more competitive, they can realize a great return on investment (ROI) from their projects. While the transition from old to new software has its cost in time and work, the efficiency gained in future work production is worth it.

"I've worked with hundreds of A&E firms in my 28 years of consulting, and I see these shared problems so often, I offer what I call 'the $100K Challenge,' '' Jewell says. "That's a guarantee that I can work with any business that's doing a few million dollars a year in business and find $100,000 they're losing in profits."

In this post-recession economy, she says, it's vital for firms to tune up their business management practices in order to thrive.

About June Jewell

June R. Jewell is a CPA and CEO of Acuity Business Solutions, which consults with project-based professional services firms to support profitability. She has more than 28 years of business management consulting experience and has worked with hundreds of business owners in architecture, engineering, environmental consulting, government contracting, and management-consulting industries. She has co-authored several books and is has been an assistant professorial lecturer at George Washington University. Jewell is a sought-after speaker for a wide range of industry organizations.

What becomes of the women who graduate with MBAs from Harvard Business School? Do most go on to fulfilling careers, or do they drop out of the work force when they become moms?

"The number that has been floated for years, and is quoted by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg in her book 'Lean In,' is that 15 years after graduation, only a third of them are working full-time -- and they're working for their male classmates,'' says executive and business coach Debora McLaughlin, author of "The Renegade Leader, 9 Success Strategies Driven Leaders Use to Ignite People, Performance and Profits," (www.TheRenegadeLeader.com) and the forthcoming "Running in High Heels".

"That statement suggests that, even when they hold advanced degrees from an Ivy League university, women are less ambitious, less willing and less committed than their male fellow graduates.  ... I just don't believe that."

In fact, McLaughlin is right. Harvard Business School recently surveyed more than 6,400 male and female alumni and found that well more than half the women aged 31 to 47 were working full-time. Sixteen percent were working part-time, and 10 percent were caring for children full-time.

Ninety-five percent of the men were working full-time.

"This tells me that women are making difficult choices. Certainly, to do what it takes to get into Harvard and complete an MBA, they're ambitious," McLaughlin says. "But women, especially those who want to become mothers, face extra challenges in trying to strike a work-life balance. And, let's face it; it's still a male-dominated business world that lacks understanding of the needs of working Moms."

No matter where a person - male or female - earns her master's in business administration, there's a lot they won't learn in business school, McLaughlin notes. She offers her own MBA for successfully having it all:

• M - Management skills: A lot of the female professionals and business owners McLaughlin works with don't enjoy managing people. "They may have gone into a particular industry because it's their passion - whether it's architecture, engineering or small business. They want to move up, but in business, that almost always involves assuming managerial responsibilities," McLaughlin says. You can't duck this and you won't be successful if you're half a manager. Find a mentor, an executive coach, a good course or just read up on current management tools - you'll be happier and so will your employees. And you'll be on the path to becoming an inspiring leader.

• B - Balance: Finding the right work-life balance for you is essential! If your dream is to own that corner office or grow your business into a Fortune 100, carefully "choose your regrets," McLaughlin advises. Will you regret giving up your career to manage a home and children? Will you regret the lost mommy time if you continue working full time? Be bold, ask for what you need. "Why do women give up their careers and men do not?" McLaughlin asks. Striking a balance means being unapologetic about what you need when you need it. When you say "yes" understand what you are saying "no" to.

• A - Advancement: In order to achieve your dreams of success, you have to put yourself out there. "You have to show up and speak up, be authentic and unapologetic," McLaughlin says. Although women now account for more than half the bachelor's and master's degrees in the United States, they fill only16.6 percent of the seats on Fortune 500 boards and women CEOs represent only 4 percent. Get the experience that puts you in the position to be a board candidate, McLaughlin advises. Actively network, find female role models who can help you to achieve the kind of success you're aiming for, and be seen and heard in the workplace.

"If you have a fingerprint to leave on the world and you want to live your life with the greatest impact, know that you can," McLaughlin says. "You can have all that you want, when you want it."

About Debora McLaughlin

Debora McLaughlin is the best-selling author of "The Renegade Leader, 9 Success Strategies Driven Leaders Use to Ignite People, Performance and Profits" and the forthcoming book, "Running in High Heels." She is the CEO of The Renegade Leader Coaching and Consulting Group, combining her experience as certified executive coach, cognitive behavioral psychotherapist and as a top sales performer in New York City and Boston to help CEOs, business leaders and organizations achieve accelerated results.