Meet an Idaho Rancher: Chyenne Smith
Hi, there; I’m Chyenne Smith, from Carmen, Idaho! My husband, two daughters and I, with help from my husband’s parents, raise commercial and registered Black Angus cattle and Morgan horses.
I didn’t originally group up as a rancher. My father built homes, so I grew up around construction, later starting my own construction company that made decorative concrete floors. My passion for ranching may be new, but I took to it like a duck to water. I’ve always loved horses and riding, so raising cattle on public lands and being able to contribute to their well being is very fulfilling. Knowing that our public lands have been cared for by generations of wonderful ranchers inspires us every day to make them better.
What is your favorite part of the beef industry?
Hands down, the best part of the beef industry is being able to work with my family doing something we all love.
What’s your favorite beef meal to cook (or favorite beef recipe)?
I can’t think of a beef recipe that I don’t like, though some I’m better at preparing than others. A favorite at our house is leftover roast beef tacos, homemade roast beef and cheese pockets (baked in crescent rolls) and hamburger soup (burger, any/every vegetable, rice, and beans in a thick broth).
When you’re not busy ranching, what do you like to do to “unwind”?
When we’re not busy ranching we like to unwind by, wait, we’re always busy ranching … we do take the time to make our jobs fun though. We camp out on the mountain when moving cattle, we throw potlucks around working days and on hot afternoons we check cows by floating by them.
What is your favorite part about Idaho?
Idaho is such an amazing and diverse state. It has beautiful mountains, wide open plains and everything in between, what’s not to love?