The 2022 Scholarship Applications are available now. To qualify, students must have parents/grandparents or guardians as members of ICA, and be pursuing a degree in agriculture or ag-related field.

2022 ICW Scholarship Application

2022 Simplot Scholarship Application

Gwenna and Wade Prescott.

The Prescotts-Wade, Gus, Gwenna (with Agnes), Christie and Wyatt (holding Virgil)

As the new Cattlewoman Chair for the Idaho Cattle Association, I am humbled to serve our state cattle industry and feel we all have a very important story to share with modern day consumers who want to understand how their food is grown. Furthermore, we all share a sense of responsibility to do our part in ensuring the future of our states cattle industry. Now is my turn. I have never known a life outside of agriculture. I was born and raised on a row crop and livestock farm and married a cowboy, from which we have made a living and life ranching and feeding cattle.

In my kitchen, hangs a sign that reads, “Behind every successful rancher is a wife that works in town.” It is a sign that rings true in our life. I have always worked in banking and the success of this job in town to our operation has not been as much about the off-ranch income, as it has been about the off-ranch skills. While I have never personally thought of my role in the operation as critical, it is and the role of women in agriculture is and always has been. My career in banking also enabled me to keep tight books and understand balance sheets, budgets, and capital access that enabled us to start and restart on occasion in this industry and bring along children with cattle as well.

Above and beyond, like many others, I’ve spent a lifetime shifting gears from my bank clothes after work to driving silage truck or sorting calves, then getting dinner on the table. Oh, then making sure the boys had lunch for the next day or else they won’t eat, to balancing the checkbook after bedtime, to waking up the next morning before daylight to help load a truck all before going to my job in town. I am not alone. Many of us do this day in and day out just to keep living this lifestyle in a business whose real purpose is to put food on the table for the world.

At times, in the day-to-day challenges, it’s easy to lose perspective of what we are really creating. I don’t know how my husband and son can work twelve hours straight and only say twelve words to each other, yet know exactly what the other is thinking or asking. I don’t know how the words “in” and “bye” can sound so similar, or how I am ever supposed to know exactly which black cow to get out when I am told to get the black cow over there. I don’t know why every time we work cattle it always takes twice as long as they say it will, yet they never adjust how long they say it will take or why cattle are always out on holidays and birthdays, but it just seems to happen this way. I’ve said on many occasions that maybe we ought to sell the whole damn thing.

There was a time where I encouraged my boys to pursue careers outside of agriculture. Those have always been fleeting moments, not only because I have some strange addiction to having cattle around or that I believe that producing beef for people far and wide is truly a noble and rewarding occupation. For me, this business and lifestyle also has another self-serving amenity. There is no better way to raise a family.

It is family that makes serving as Cattlewomen Chair truly rewarding. It is families like the Kerners, who epitomize this family fabric that means so much to me in this cattle world. The Cattlewomen are honored to partner with them this year for the Julie Rae Kerner Memorial Scholarship. The scholarships that the Cattlewomen are able to help provide are important to me. Having raised two boys with cattle and knowing my grandbabies will be raised the same way leaves me with sense of peace that not much else could. In one way or another cattle paid for my kids’ education, and it’s important the Cattlewomen and ICA help another family and young producer in this way. Thanks to our annual saddle raffle and partners we were able to give four $1,000 scholarships’ last year. Invest in our cattle kids, and support the Cattlewomen.

Wow! It’s December 2015! How have we reached the end of the year already?! We just completed our first Women in Ag Blog Series and want to say thanks to all who read, commented, shared and participated. We are grateful for the support! For every woman featured, there are a couple hundred more that are also contributing in unique and different ways to help bring food and fiber to the rest of us. We look forward to sharing more stories of Women in Ag in the months to come. For now, we hope you will continue following us as we share the story of agriculture from Idaho Cattlewomen. Following is a collection of links to recap our month.

Day 1: Women in Ag: Idaho CattleWomen Chair, Robin Lufkin

Day 2: Women in Ag: Idaho Agriculture Director, Celia Gould

Day 3: Women in Ag: UI Research Technician, Megan Satterwhite

Day 4: Women in Ag: Weiser Cattlewoman, Julie Kerner

Day 5: Women in Ag: Camas Prairie Cowgirl, Diana Graning

Day 6: Women in Ag: Agriculture Devotee, Christie Prescott

Day 7: Women in Ag: ICA Board Member, Dawn Anderson

Day 8: Women in Ag: Simplot Land Manager, Darcy Helmick

Day 9: Women in Ag: Rangeland Resource Commission Director, Gretchen Hyde

Day 10: Women in Ag: Idaho Purebred Breeder, Maureen Mai

Day 11: Women in Ag: Trade Specialist, Leah Clark 

Day 12: Women in Ag: Social Media Savvy Cowgirl, Chyenne Smith

Day 13: Women in Ag: Natural Resources Policy Advisor, Karen Williams

Day 14: Women in Ag: Range Management Specialist, Brooke Jacobson

Day 15: Women in Ag: Cowboy Girl, Jayme Thompson

Day 16: Women in Ag: All-Around Ranch Wife, Trish Dowton

Day 17: Women in Ag: Small Town Superwoman, Jodie Mink

Day 18: Women in Ag: Livestock Marketing Communicator, Kim Holt

Day 19: Women in Ag: All-Around Cattleman, Jessie Jarvis

Day 20: Women in Ag: Idaho Cattle Association President, Laurie Lickley

Day 21: Women in Ag: County Extension Agent, Sarah Baker

Day 22: Women in Ag: Corporate Marketing Specialist, Alethea Prewett

Day 23: Women in Ag: ICA Membership and Productions Manager, Dawn Schooley

Day 24: Women in Ag: Top Hand, Kara Kraich Smith

Day 25: Women in Ag: Animal Health Territory Manager, Carmen Stevens

Day 26: Women in Ag: Fourth Generation Rancher, Sarah Helmick

Day 27: Women in Ag: Ag Communications Professional, Maggie Malson

Day 28: Women in Ag: Rural-Loving Ranch Wife, Tay Brackett

Day 29: Women in Ag: Cattle Industry Champion, Ramona Karas

Day 30: Women in Ag: Rancher and Everyday Agvocate, Linda Rider

Please feel free to continue sharing these stories, and if you have any comments or questions about future Women in Ag posts, please contact us at info@idahocattlewomen.org.

Maggie Malson grew up a Kansas farmer’s daughter, but after meeting her husband, Josh, at Kansas State University, the couple returned to his home in Idaho and she easily found herself loving the Gem State. The couple raises Angus and Hereford cattle and their four children on his family’s southwest Idaho ranch. Maggie has been an ag communications professional for the past 14 years. When not writing stories or photographing clients, watching kid activities, or helping with the cattle, Maggie enjoys getting creative in the kitchen. She also volunteers her time as a 4-H club leader, a contributor to the Idaho CattleWomen blog and is involved with Beef Counts.

How are you involved in agriculture and/or beef industry today? My husband and I live and work on his family’s registered cattle ranch. While I don’t work outside with cattle every day, I am always on call to help as needed—whether moving cows, making a run to the vet clinic, or in the case this fall when I awoke to cows in our yard, helping get them back in and fixing the fence. With my communications experience, I manage our website, and help with the marketing and advertising of our purebred cattle. Our children are active in junior beef association activities and 4-H, showing cattle and sheep. We also have a couple feeder pigs each year. Professionally, I spent 13 years publishing the magazine for the Idaho Cattle Association, but recently stepped away from it to be more available to my family. After graduating from college, I started my communications business to provide writing, photography and design services, mainly to agriculture publications and clients, which I continue to do today.

Checking out the bulls during the family’s annual bull sale. Maggie and Josh are thankful to raise their children in the cattle business.

How has your life been shaped by agriculture and/or the beef industry? My love of agriculture is a part of who I am. I was raised in a small farming community in Kansas where my dad and granddad were farmers. I remember helping my dad change water, which for us was big gated pipe. Moving cows was also a favorite family activity. I was a 10-year 4-H member, and that program, along with my parents, helped teach me responsibility, hard work, dedication, goal-setting and leadership skills. I had many interests in high school including art, photography and writing, but my love for agriculture, horses and cattle led me to pursue a degree in animal science. During my sophomore year I attended my first Ag Media Summit, where I met writers and editors of publications I had grown up seeing my dad read. I realized telling the story of agriculture was my life’s passion. I added ag communications as a second major. I was fortunate to have college internships to gain experience in both the horse and beef industries, and being on the KSU horse judging team also gave me opportunities for travel and meeting people through agriculture—many of them are still close friends today.

Who inspires you or serves as a mentor? Certainly both of my parents and my grandparents have been great mentors for me. I look up to them for their faith, hard work, and kindness to others. They offered so much love and support to me through the years. My 4-H leader and county agent, Frank Swan, was also an influential force in my formative years and gave me many opportunities for growth and learning. In my communications career, I have numerous colleagues I admire and look up to. In the last 13 years, the cattlewomen and men of Idaho have provided daily inspiration for their dedication to raising beef and feeding people. There have been a few in particular who have been especially encouraging to me and are great leaders in our industry. I always appreciate opportunities to “pick their brains,” and gain insight from their experiences when we spend time together.

How do you provide encouragement to others? In my role as a wife and mom, I find lots of opportunities to encourage my family. Josh and I enjoy working together, albeit not always easy, but working alongside your spouse doing something you both love is a great way to spend the days. And I admire him so much for his love of cattle and doing the best job he can. I also love to laugh, so if I can infuse a little humor into a situation I will try because laughter really is great medicine. With our kids, I want to find the right balance of letting them learn from life experiences, but loving and guiding them along the way. I am a firm believer that everyone has something to contribute in life. I want to empower and encourage women to realize their worth and to be proud of the role they play—whether it’s at home or working outside the home. There is enough negativity in the world that we need to build each other up and not shame each other for parenting, food or other choices. In this day and age of modern technology and instant messages, I still find power in a face to face conversation and the handwritten note, so I try to visit in person or send cards and letters to others when I can.

If given the chance, what message about agriculture or the beef industry would you share with a large group of people? We tend to fear what we don’t know, so I would encourage the general public to get to know farmers and ranchers, learn more about what we do to care for land and animals, and to trust we are doing our very best. Agriculture impacts all of us, and a thriving agriculture industry and rural economies are the backbone of our country. Agriculture should still be considered a noble profession. It’s simple; we have to eat, have clothing and shelter. I want the rest of the population to know that farmers and ranchers care more about the land and animals than anyone in Washington, D.C., who is making policy without first-hand knowledge of how small or large farms and ranches are run. Food choice is important, and all production systems are needed. Science and technology are valuable tools that producers use to help be more efficient and sustainable.

Maggie has fond memories of showing horses and cattle at her county fair. Now she gets to watch her own kids show animals and learn valuable life lessons through 4-H.

What are you most thankful for? My faith, freedom, family, friends and health! I am thankful for agriculture and the people who have positively influenced my life. Life isn’t always easy and we all have our own share of trials and challenges, but my grandma’s advice was that you could always find someone else worse off than you. She had a positive, grateful attitude and didn’t complain. Even in the midst of an uncomfortable circumstance or challenge, I can always find something to be thankful for! If I ever start to think of what I don’t have, it’s my internal cue to look around and see how I can help or bless someone else. Reaching out to others in their time of need always puts my blessings in perspective.

What is you favorite meal to cook yourself or for others? I really love a good steak and roasted broccoli. I could probably eat that every day! One of my family’s favorites I make is a Steak Alfredo Pasta. I cut the steak into bite-size pieces, season, then brown them. I make a homemade sauce, starting with a roux of butter and flour, adding milk and cooking until it thickens. I season with garlic salt, pepper, Italian spices and Parmesan cheese. I add diced fresh tomatoes, red onion and bell peppers if I have them around. (I change it up a little each time.) I mix the steak back in after the sauce is finished and serve over fetticine noodles.

What are your guilty pleasures in life? I don’t have much time to watch TV, but I have three shows I DVR—Madam Secretary, Castle and The Mysteries of Laura. I love the strong, female lead characters, and each show has some drama, along with laughter too—a great combination.

What are some of your favorite pastimes and/or hobbies? I love to read and usually have several books on my nightstand. I enjoy art, DIY projects and scrapbooking, although I haven’t had as much time to do this as I used to. I really enjoy watching my kids show their animals or participate in sports.

Favorite place to visit? Kansas (or anywhere my family is) and McCall, Idaho, where we have a family cabin. Because Josh and I both work from home, getting away from the ranch doesn’t happen often, but being up in the mountains and on the lake gives us both time to relax, enjoy downtime with our kids, and take in the beautiful scenery.

Maggie and her first horse, Dandy, who taught her about perseverance and hard work.

What are three little known facts about you? 1) I won my first horse in an essay contest when I was 8 years old. She was only a yearling and I had no experience; I was just a horse-crazy girl. I learned so much about perseverance and not giving up from that horse. We had to learn everything by trial and error, but by the time I was finished showing her, I had reached all my goals. 2) I took an Introvert/Extrovert test once and my answers were evenly divided down the middle. I enjoy being around people, but also crave alone time. 3) I play the piano. I grew up taking lessons and playing in church. I don’t play nearly as often I would like to, but sometimes when I’m stressed, I’ll sit down and play through a hymn or Christmas song.

Keep up with Maggie on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.