Meet an Idaho Cattlewoman ~ Valene Lickley
How are you involved in agriculture today?
I am currently an agricultural engineer for AGPROfessionals focusing on drainage, engineering and permitting for Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) all across the western United States. I love assisting owners and operators with achieving their goals and keeping production animal agriculture alive.
Outside of the office and as a passion project, I am a co-host for the Millennial Ag Podcast. Bringing the perspective, hot topics, and real life stories of agriculture to the public through the lens of millennials.
And when I have free time, I spend it riding my horse and assisting my family on their cow-calf operation.
How has your life been shaped by agriculture?
Agriculture is deep in my veins and it has and will always be a large part of my heart. When I graduated high school, I knew I wanted to be involved in agriculture and work towards making a difference in my community. I ended up pursuing a degree in Civil Engineering and continued to stay involved in agriculture in a variety of ways. During that time, I always thought that the agriculture community was who could influence me the most. While this is true and I have a lot of people to thank, I had a very closed mind. I ended up being influenced a lot by people outside the agriculture community and those who helped me understand the other 98% of the world who eats, wears and uses the products we produce.
Who inspires you or serves as a mentor?
My family, and specifically my parents, Bill and Laurie. They have always worked humbly and hard to be involved in their communities and take a lot of pride in their work. I am so blessed and grateful to have role models that answer my silly questions and guide me in life, the cattle markets and my career.
How do you provide encouragement to others?
In the last six months, I have co-hosted the Millennial Ag Podcast with my good friend Katharine Lotspeich. Through the podcast we talk about real issues, real stories and allow agriculture to be vulnerable with the consumers and themselves. We try and tackle the real hot topic issues but we always try and leave everyone with a positive thought, idea or action item. We want to give hope to agriculture and allow agriculture to begin to have those tough conversations that we have been avoiding for years.
Our podcast can be found on any major podcast platform (Apple, Google, Spotify, Podbean, etc.) or at millennialag.com.
If given the chance, what message about agriculture or the beef industry would you share with a large group of people?
Dare to be different and Dare to take a chance! As a fifth generational rancher, I never imagined I would ever rock climb, run long distances or hike tall mountains. I also never thought I was capable of starting a podcast or leading a team of professionals at 25. Once I shook off the control and tunnel vision of the life I thought I should be living, the opportunities and connections I made were better than I could ever imagine. Life is not going to be easy. We are going to fall flat on our face, but we have to have faith, work hard and stay true to our roots while opening our eyes to the possibilities.
What are you most thankful for?
I am grateful for my faith, my community (family and friends) and adventure!
What is your favorite meal to cook yourself or for others?
You cannot really beat a good T-bone steak, sweet potatoes and a fresh veggie. Easy, tasty and nutritious!
What is your favorite childhood memory?
One of my favorite childhood memories was getting a group of friends together and catching all our “broke” horses to play football on bareback. When we would get bored playing football, we would run them through the pivot sprinklers and jump the pivot tracks. How we didn’t fall off or get bucked off more times than we did is still a mystery to me.
What are a few of your guilty pleasures?
Wine or a cold beer (depending on the time of year) and lots of laughs with friends and family!
Where is your favorite place to shop?
My Mom’s closet… My mom loves clothes, has better style than I do, and her rule is that anything that comes into her closet, something has to go out. So it is a win-win situation.