Idaho is home to two Camas Prairies, and we’re lucky enough to be able to feature a cowgirl from each one! Yesterday you read a profile on Diana Graning, and today you can read one on Christie Prescott. Christie was born and raised on a ranch outside of Fairfield, Idaho. Her husband, Wyatt, serves as the Executive Vice President of the Idaho Cattle Association. She and Wyatt have a son, Gus, and are expecting a little girl at the end of this month!

How are you involved in agriculture and/or the beef industry today? My involvement in Agriculture really starts at my day job as outreach coordinator for the Idaho Grain Producers Association. When I’m not in the office my husband and I are building our own beef cattle operation. Currently, we primarily grow calves and place them as feeder cattle in a custom feedlot. We also do whatever the market presents as an opportunity when it does, like feeding feeder cows and growing our cow-calf numbers.

How has your life been shaped by agriculture? I grew in agriculture. I still have dreams that I’m back on the ranch I grew up on. I hope that my children will be as fortunate as I was and get to grow up the same way. I look forward to instilling the passion for cattle in our children. Being surrounded by the beautiful Idaho landscape, working the land and learning to be responsible through agriculture is the best way to grow up.

Who inspires you or serves as a mentor? My grandpa, Al Bauscher, has always been an inspiration to me. He was a WWII veteran that came home to Fairfield and kept up the family cattle business. He inspired me because he was tough as nails and always on time. I keep a picture of the two of us together, at my desk as a constant reminder.

How do you provide encouragement to others? I provide encouragement to others by providing valid feedback and being supportive. I’m a realist that likes to get things done. I think a fresh perspective is always good and try to support the best way to do any given thing.

If given the chance, what message about agriculture or the beef industry would you share with a large group of people? I’d like to let people know that if they like to eat they should be supportive of agriculture and agricultural practices. I think there is a major gap in people knowing where their food comes from. Many don’t understand what goes into food production. I’d like them to understand that farmers and ranchers are where what on their plate starts and that these people care the most about their animals and land.

What are you most thankful for? I’m most thankful for my family and our health. I’ve come to realize through losing my parents that it’s the most important thing.

What is your favorite meal to cook yourself or for others? Bolognese sauce and spaghetti are always a go-to favorite.

 

What is the first thing you do when you walk into a grocery store? I try and shop the perimeter of a grocery store. I load up on fresh produce followed by meats, cheeses and dairy. I try and avoid highly processed aisle foods.

What are some of your favorite pastimes and/or hobbies? Trail running and boot camp work outs, reading, watching football, canning and cooking.

What are three little known facts about you? 1) I was a BLM firefighter for six fire seasons. 2) I am a Lord of the Rings nerd. 3) I’m actually shy and have to work hard at being outgoing.

Be sure to keep up with Christie on Instagram and Facebook!

Day 5: Women in Ag: Diana Graning
Day 4: Women in Ag: Julie Kerner
Day 3: Women in Ag: Megan Satterwhite
Day 2: Women in Ag: Celia Gould
Day 1: Women in Ag: Robin Lufkin

Diana Graning was raised on northcentral Idaho’s Camas Prairie. A graduate of the University of Idaho, Diana majored in Animal Science Production, putting her degree to work as a Feed Consultant for a local Ag Co-Op. Recently Diana made the decision to leave her job, so she could focus on her family and their cows. Diana and her husband, Cody, have a little girl named Mesa Rose, and are expecting another little girl arriving at the end of January!

How are you involved in agriculture today? My family and I ranch, as well as operate our own custom spraying and fertilizer business, specifically for crop fields.

How has your life been shaped by agriculture? My life has been shaped positively by agriculture in the way of learning core life values such as work ethic, treating others and animals fairly and the value of a dollar.

Who inspires you or serves as a mentor? I’m inspired by all women in agriculture!

How do you provide encouragement to others? I love sending cards in the mail, or utilizing social media to share a quick message to someone I’m thinking about.

If given the chance, what message about agriculture or the beef industry would you share with a large group of people? I would most like to share the message that as rancher, we treat our animals the very best we can, not only because of financial impact, but because care for all ranch/farm animals. There is so much misconstrued information about livestock coming from “factories” i.e. “Factory farms.” This is nothing even remotely similar between a farm/ranch and a factory. I think this is one of the common myths that bothers me the most.

What are you most thankful for? I am very thankful that I was born and raised in agriculture! I’m even more thankful for the opportunity to continue living this lifestyle and to be able to raise my children the same way I was brought up!

What is your favorite meal to cook yourself or for others? Anyone in my house knows that answer would be spaghetti! It’s easy to make, especially in large quantities, and we never seem to get tired of it.

What are a few of your guilty pleasures? Although I don’t get to watch a lot of TV, I have to say when given the choice to something completely on my own time, especially if its dark outside I really enjoy a good TV show series or a movie. Some of my favorites are Big Bang Theory, Brady Bunch and movies are of course any horse show (Seabiscuit, Secretariat…love them all), Ms. Congeniality or most all Sandra Bullock movies.

What’s your favorite store to shop in? Any farm/ranch store that has TACK! I also enjoy Old Navy for clothes shopping for the family. It’s inexpensive, offers simple styles, and good quality.

What’s the first thing you do when to get to the grocery store? Well first thing is to grab a cart and check my list if I didn’t leave it at home or in the pickup. My favorite isle is the laundry soap isle. It just smells SO good!

Be sure to stay in touch with Diana on Facebook!

Day 4: Women in Ag: Julie Kerner
Day 3: Women in Ag: Megan Satterwhite
Day 2: Women in Ag: Celia Gould
Day 1: Women in Ag: Robin Lufkin

Julie and her family own a cow-calf, yearling operation and custom feedlot in southwest Idaho. She and her husband were raised on livestock ranches and their industry roots run deep. Their children have been very active and involved in the ranch and feedlot, and are developing their own herds of quality cattle. Julie enjoys read and playing the organ at church.

How are you involved in agriculture today? I am a partner with my husband, Bruce, in our family operation, Kerner Cattle Company. Day-to-day tasks include bookwork, riding pens and cattle care, phone calls and more phone calls. It also involves daily discussions about cattle and our family. Our lives center on faith, family and the land and cattle we care for. In our community, we strive to show our neighbors what “good stewards” are, in the tangible sense. We work with the 4-H & FFA groups during weigh-in, offering our scales and chute so the kid’s animals are vaccinated and tagged correctly. We stay active in our Weiser River Cattle Association, working on local and state issues. We also work on Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) principals with our family and employees.

How has your life been shaped by agriculture? One of my earliest memories is sitting on the back of a Hereford bull in a stall of my family’s barn. Born and raised on a registered Hereford ranch, I was always in the barn with my Dad and Granddad. I loved being around cattle. I became active in the Jr. Hereford Association, which allowed me to see cattle across the nation and fuel my passion to be involved in the cattle industry at a young age. With a degree in Animal Science from the University of Idaho, I continued working in the livestock and allied industries. As our family and Kerner Cattle Company grew, I was able to become a full time “ranch wife.” This has allowed Bruce & I to raise our children in ranching and has continuously taught them life lessons tied to agriculture.

Who inspires you or serves as a mentor? My mentors were my grandmothers and their quiet strength in their family operations. These women never complained about hardships, but relied on their faith and competence in difficult times. They found joy in ranch and farm life.

How do you provide encouragement to others? I hope a daily positive attitude is evident to others. I hope I truly listen to others and respond with care and concern.

If given the chance, what message about agriculture or the beef industry would you share with a large group of people? The necessity of family ranches. We have many people comment on the work ethic of our children, which we can directly tie to working with cattle and the land. These ideas are antiquated in modern culture, but are still recognized as positive. I would hope to share that ranching is a “serving” industry; our mission is to feed a growing hungry world and we do that by the ranch values of caring for others and our livestock. It goes back to living The Golden Rule.

What are you most thankful for?  A life lived with family, cattle and land.

What is your favorite meal to cook yourself or for others? An old Idaho CowBelles recipe, Chinese Whisky Steak. I usually add a side Sides of ranch potatoes, Rosemary Rolls (from The Pioneer Woman), green salad and Texas Sheet Cake for dessert! Wins them over every time!

What is the first thing you do when you walk into a grocery store? Look at my list!

What is your favorite childhood memory? Helping feed the sale bulls in our old barn. All the rations were hand-mixed and bunk fed as we halter-broke the bulls to come to the bunk.  You learned to judge their temperaments and gain their trust. Those hours around the bulls taught me to “read” cattle. Not paying attention garnished a few bruises from being kicked!  The radio was always on KSRV and everything had to be quiet when the market report came on!

What are some of your favorite pastimes and/or hobbies?  I love college football! My favorite season is fall, so we can watch the race to the championship. I love all kinds of music—Big Band, Dean Martin, Classical, Irish, Red Dirt, Classic Country and George Strait, so an hour at the piano with no interruptions and all my music books is a treat!

Be sure to connect with Julie on Facebook!

Every rancher we know has a plan—that outlined picture of what the future holds. Some people have it typed and saved on a hard drive, others pencil it out on paper-—or scribble it on a napkin—and yet others sketch their plans in their mind map. Whatever the case, we are all aware of what we’d like the future to look like. If we are really honest, we often have two plans—the practical plan and the “whoa, I’m dreaming big, baby!” plan. Usually we file the first and tuck away the second in our underwear drawer so no one will see our outlandish thoughts.

Recently, something happened in our own little world that defied both plans and made us stop and think: “What do we do with this?”

It isn’t on the plan—not even the wild plan. It feels like it’ll really make things better or spiral us toward the polar opposite.

Will it be like the time I lost my rope or saved a calf?

 

Often things come into our lives that we aren’t sure what to do with—and somehow our uncertainty seems to make us think we’ve failed. There should always be a plan, whether it is the normal one or the big one, right? Plans have always helped us, but they just can’t always be concrete. Life is bound to change; surprises happen. Sometimes it isn’t exactly a cut and dry answer that’s needed (Unless it can be fixed with duct tape or baling twine), as much as it is a process.

Truly ranching is a process and one that I’m thankful for regularly. As we celebrated Thanksgiving this week, thankfulness is on my mind. I love how producers help each other and share information. I treasure how friendships can be formed easily. I’m thankful for fresh air and animals. I’m grateful that even though plans change or get flipped upside down, we still have ranching. I’m thankful for everyday ideas and “Whoa, baby” big plans—and for the people in my life who appreciate both. As producers, we have a lot to be thankful for—both in industry standards and in each other. Here’s to dreaming big and flexible plans!

~ Marci

Marci is a city girl gone country. She married her cowboy and never looked back. While life may be different than what she first imagined, it’s also better than she expected as well. She and her husband are raising their three kids on the ranch, and she has grown used to all the boots by the door.

Ask almost any rancher how their summer is going, and all they’ll have time to say is, “Busy.” Moving cows up the mountain, baling hay, packing salt, building fence…the list literally never ends.

Except in the case of my family. I don’t know how we ever got so lucky, but summer is our “slow” season. I say that with some sarcasm, because ranch life is never slow; but it seems to be the time when we have the least to do. Our cows spend their summer out on the desert, and hardly ever have to be moved from one allotment to the next. Although we do raise our own alfalfa and silage corn, we hire local farmers to work, plant and harvest our corn, along with cutting and baling our hay. All we really have to worry about is irrigating everything, and making sure our cows have water, which takes up a good portion of the day.

Since we do have a little bit of free time on our hands, we usually spend time getting a variety of projects done while we can. My father calls this “beautification,” aka, making things look almost-new again. My parents have always taken pride in what they have, and this ranch is no different. We’re constantly spraying weeds, washing buildings, blading the road, raking, or mowing. I know that if ranch life ever fails me, I could easily make it as a landscaper 🙂

Back in June, we gave our ranch a brand new coat of barn red paint. This project is dreaded by all, as it ends up taking 5 full days. But the end result is completely worth it, and we always get compliments on how nice things look.

About a month ago, the guys put in two new water tanks, which we badly needed. One started leaking last winter, but we knew we couldn’t replace it until the weather warmed up, to avoid freezing. Luckily we were able to make a temporary fix that lasted until now!

Stay tuned in the next week or so, because I’ve got an amazing recipe coming! My Mother-in-Law taught me how to make her famous taco salad—it’s too good not to share!

~ Jessie

Jessie has returned to her roots on her family’s commercial black angus cattle ranch in southern Idaho after time away at college and working on behalf of the state’s cattle producers. She’s passionate about agriculture and the western way of life. When she isn’t doing ranch work or writing, Jessie enjoys baking, golfing and drinking coffee. As a newlywed, she’s also turning a little cabin on the ranch into a home.