Ranch women are plagued with the stereotype of someone whose only outfit consists of a button up shirt, high-waist Wranglers, and a hair kerchief. However, in the two days I spent in Sun Valley, there was no plaid, no kerchiefs, and the Wranglers I saw had plenty of bling. Ok, that’s a bit of a lie. I wore plaid; but it had sequins. I’ll be the first to tell you, my Grandma Marie never wore sequins with her plaid, so I think I’m in the clear.

When it comes down to it, the cattlewomen of Idaho are a stylish group of ladies, and the rest of this post will do nothing but prove that fact. Unfortunately my phone was dead most of the day on Monday, so the only outfits I got a chance to document came from Tuesday. I missed a couple of great ones, including fellow ICW bloggers, Jayme Thompson, who wore the most beautiful braided scarf, accompanied by a gorgeous pair of Stetson boots, and Julie Kerner, who looked stunning in an Aztec print dress—with sequins. Enjoy!

ICA’s President-Elect, Laurie Lickley (left), paired her little black dress with a pair of blue tights, and topped with off with a chic feather print scarf. On the right, Heather Tiel-Nelson isn’t afraid of a little color, rocking an orange skirt with brown tights and floral embroidered boots. Her wide belt and buckle really tie it all together!

I love this little Mother-In-Law, Daughter-In-Law duo, and neither one is afraid of color or a bold print!
Christie, left, had on the cutest color blocked sweater, dark wash denim, and Corral boots. I loved the front button detail of her sweater! Her Mother-In-Law, Gwenna, opted for a basic long sleeve and bright pink vest. Both of these ladies looked fabulous!

BYU-Idaho student Lindsay Loveland stole the show in her white dress, thin braided belt, cardigan and boot combo. I absolutely loved the fringe detail on her dress—it added the perfect touch of glam, without being over the top. Although I could be wrong, I believe she mentioned that it’s a piece from Ariat.

Maggie Malson, left, pulled off the “effortlessly fashionable” vibe that every woman wants, in a pair of dark wash denim trousers, snip toe boots, and high-low cardigan. I took the comfortable route, pairing a piko tunic with my favorite fur vest, denim leggings and Corral boots.

And last but not least, the Mother-Daughter team of Ramona Ridley-Karas and Sierra Ridley. I see these two pretty often, and there is never a time when they aren’t dressed to the 9’s. Ramona styled a cute little black ensemble with short booties, while Sierra chose a pair of chevron print palazzo pants, and black top with some sheer detailing.

~ J

Helping at the gate while sorting calves.

herds. Our son, Sam, prefers to “run grass calves,” but still competes with his steer at the Washington County Fair. Shane will be a senior at Kansas State University, majoring in animal science. Dana will be a senior at Weiser High and is currently narrowing her college choice, and will major in animal science, as well. Sam, a fifth-grader, focuses on building forts, football, hunting and following in his Dad’s footsteps.

When asked to write a narrative of a “normal” day here, I randomly picked a Tuesday in May. It occurred to me as I wrote out the day, each day finds its own rhythm, but all the days flow because of the purpose and passion our family lives.

5:45 a.m. – Up with a pot of coffee, Magnificat and quiet time. Much needed before the day begins.

6:30 a.m. – Kids up and going. Sent them out to feed show heifers and 4-H steers. Breakfast, lunches, homework signed…only two more weeks of “school schedule”! Put a roast in the crock pot for supper.

7:45 a.m. – Up to feedlot to weigh and ship two loads of heifers and steers. Rode pens while crew finished up shipping and paperwork. Brought down two steers to scales for the local butcher to harvest.

11:00 a.m. – Back to my office to make payroll tax deposit, check balances and get a receivables deposit ready for the bank. Made calls for the upcoming Weiser River Cattle Association Turn-out Golf Tournament. Emailed Jodie Mink sponsor logos.

11:45 a.m. – Picked up the feedlot crew for lunch at the Farmer’s Co-op Café. Dropped by the bank with a deposit. Picked up a part at Hollingsworth’s for the swather.

Our feedlot is a family affair. We all help get the work done.

1:15 p.m. – Checked cows and salt in three pastures.

2:00 p.m. – Helped load bulls to be Trich tested at the vet clinic.

3:00 p.m. – Headed to town to pick up Sam & Willie for guitar lessons. Stopped for Twisty Cones at Jeb’s for snacks. “Lucky Number Tuesday” at Bi-Mart—always need toilet paper on Tuesdays! Won a package of beef jerky, which Sam had half-finished before we turned down our lane.

4:45 p.m. – Home for chores and start supper. Homework finished. Did I mention only two more weeks of school?!? Answered phone and email messages. Dana will finish preparing supper while I head to play for Confirmation Mass practice in Fruitland at 6.

9:15 p.m. – Home from practice. Read with Sam as we are in the middle of Lincoln’s Last Days. Prayers.

10:00 p.m. – Read the Idaho Statesman, talked about today’s highs and lows with Bruce, and made a plan for tomorrow. Finished the night with Magnificat and thanks!

Every cattlewoman’s day is different, but we all have one thing in common—to care for our animals and raise delicious and healthy BEEF!

~ Julie

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

A fresh baby from this past calving season.

I haven’t always lived on the ranch. In fact, I spent six years away, before coming home. I went to college and received a degree in Business Administration, and had a really great job directing the communications for a statewide interest/policy group that focuses solely on Idaho’s cattle industry. But I realized something was missing. After contemplating about what I should do, I finally realized the answer was pretty simple. I packed up my stuff, and relocated to the same small town I grew up in.

Overlooking the little spot I get to call “home.”

So far I’ve been home for seven months, and I can honestly say that I’ve never been happier. I find it so rewarding to know that each day our family business is in a better place because of the work I put in. Its especially important to keep this little ranch going and growing, because its the place where my own “someday family” will be raised. Speaking of which, these days when I’m not tasked with ranching, I spend my days wedding planning!

I plan on posting a little bit about everything; ranch happenings, recipes (more than likely of the beef variety), and what its like to have the life of a cattlewoman! I’m also currently working on a few DIY wedding projects; some of which, I’ll be sure to share!

Thanks again for stopping by, and be sure to check back often! J.