Black Angus cow and calf at sunset.

Hi! I’m Maggie. So glad you stopped by! If you come back often, you’ll get to meet many different women and families who share a passion for the Idaho cattle industry. Our stories are similar, but unique. There’s a lot of diversity in our industry and our people, but one common theme—a passion for raising cattle, eating beef and living this lifestyle.

Hereford cows grazing on summer pasture.

I grew up in a small Kansas community as a farmer’s daughter. Agriculture is in my blood and I always knew I wanted to be a part of the food and fiber industry. I just wasn’t always sure about how I would be involved. My interest in language and fine arts led me to study agricultural communications while in college. Now, my work involves telling the story of agriculture—and the people who raise our food—through writing, photography and design. My husband and I met in college and after graduating, we decided to return to his family’s operation. Now we’re raising cattle and kids in the Gem State. We feel very blessed to live on a ranch taking in God’s beauty every day, raising our kids to work hard and doing exactly what we love. It’s certainly not easy, but definitely worth it!

Love raising our kids on the ranch. Playing on the hay bales…

Our ranch raises registered Black Angus and Hereford cattle. Basically we are raising cows and calves, but our cattle are all purebred or seedstock. We breed the parent stock (females and bulls) to sell. Our bulls are sold to cow-calf producers to raise beef for our dinner tables. Most of our females are sold to other purebred breeders raising seedstock as well. Basically, we are raising the parents of the cattle that becomes the beef on your plate.

As a family, we enjoy showing our cattle. It’s a way to advertise the genetics we offer. We also like seeing our kids take responsibility for an animal and work together to get things done.

Our lives are busy and a little chaotic at times, but I am trying to simplify what I can and embrace the rest. I’m a mom like many of you who also juggle work and family life. It’s important my kids learn how to work hard, but we have fun too. Sports, showing cattle, 4-H, church and other activities fill up most of our free time when we’re not helping on the ranch. I love to cook, our oldest daughter loves to bake and I’ve been known to try a DIY project every now and then.

Our baby girl checking out the mamas and babies in the pasture outside our yard. Not going to lie—I love looking out our windows and seeing pastures full of cows.

So, if you stay tuned, I’ll be sharing some recipes and a little bit more about our life on the ranch.
~M

We hope you have a safe and Happy 4th of July! While we’ll be celebrating with beef on our barbeques, we’ll also remember the great sacrifices for our freedom and the liberties we experience as Americans. We are very thankful for those who defend those rights!

What better way to enjoy this day with family and friends, than with some Cucumber Ranch Steaks. It’s an easy recipe that utilizes fresh ingredients and an economical beef cut that tastes great!

CUCUMBER RANCH STEAKS – 25 minutes

4 beef shoulder center steaks (ranch steaks), cut 3/4″ thick (5 oz each)
1/2 cup finely chopped seeded cucumber
1/4 cup ranch dressing
1 Tbsp garlic-pepper seasoning
Diced tomato

1. Combine cucumber and dressing. Set aside.
2. Press garlic-pepper seasoning onto beef steaks. Prepare either charcoal or gas grill as directed. Grill, covered, 9 to 11 minutes for medium rare to medium doneness, turning once. Serve with cucumber sauce and tomato.

4 servings

Recipe Courtesy of the Beef Checkoff

From the ranch to you, we hope you enjoy a safe and Happy 4th of July!

It’s July and with that comes Idaho Beef Month. We celebrate the ranching and cattle feeding families who raise beef for your plates and contribute to the economy of our state, as well as summer grilling. Beef is always great on the BBQ, and we’ll have some tried and true recipes to share with you.

We’re excited to welcome you to the blog and website of the Idaho CattleWomen Council!

Here you’ll find more about women who are passionate about the Idaho cattle industry and who support the beef industry. Many of us may be your friends and neighbors. We work hard every day to raise beef for your table, as well as our own. We hope to share with you the diversity of the women and their families who make up our cattle community here in the West. We welcome comments and questions, and hope you check back often!