Tag: Idaho Cattlewoman

2023 Convention Recap

The Idaho CattleWomen Council held a meeting and social during the Idaho Cattle Association annual convention in Sun Valley in November. We had nearly 50 women and guests in attendance. Everyone enjoyed refreshments, and an ice breaker, where each shared if they could have dinner with any person (past or present) who would it be and why.

The business meeting included updates on the committees—website, store, saddle/scholarship. A committee was formed to discuss the possibility of ANCW membership. They will report back during the summer meeting in June 2024. In addition, the resolution in regards to the Idaho Cattlewomen Council and ANCW was reaffirmed.

New leadership for ICWC is Tay Brackett, who moves up into the ICW Chairman seat and onto the ICA Executive Committee. Christie Prescott becomes the ICW Rep to the ICA Board of Directors.

We had another great turnout for the Annual Photo Contest. All entered photos need to be emailed to Morgan at the office if they haven’t been yet. They will be used in future promotions and marketing materials for the association.

three women socializing

L-R: Anita Gonzalez, Saddle and Scholarship Chair, Tay Brackett, ICWC Chair, Christie Prescott, ICW Rep for ICA Board of Directors

man standing behind saddle

Congratulations to Kevin Byington who won the 2023 Saddle. Thank you to our sponsors, AgWest Credit, Amie Halstead and D&B Supply for your support. Thanks to all who purchased tickets. Proceeds go toward our scholarship fund.

Laurie Lickley, who has served as a past ICWC Chairwoman and ICA President, announced her bid for the Idaho Senate. The cattle industry is proud to stand behind this rancher and industry leader.

charcuterie spread on table with nuts, cheese, fruit, chocolate

Categories: Idaho Cattlewomen

2022 ICWC Scholarship Applications

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

Categories: Idaho Cattlewomen, Scholarship

Tickets Available for 2021 Saddle

 

The 2021 Idaho CattleWomen Scholarship Saddle is ready. Tickets are available!!
We were able to award 12 scholarships to deserving Idaho students who are pursuing degrees in agriculture this past year. Help support the future of Idaho ag!

Categories: Idaho Cattlewomen, Scholarship

Meet an Idaho Cattlewoman: Gwenna Prescott

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.

Categories: Idaho Cattlewomen, Ranch Life, Scholarship

30 Days of Women in Ag: Recap

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.

 

 

Categories: Beef, Blogging, Cattle, Idaho Cattlewomen