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82801 Features
On the Cover: Emily Betzler Bought Beautifully founder Emily Betzler models a necklace handmade in India by women who have been rescued from forced prostitution. For artisan-made products that empower people, restore hope, and provide transformational opportunities around the globe, visit The Union at the Montgomery in downtown Sheridan and BoughtBeautifully.Org. Photo by Rebekah Viola Photography.
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Agriculture: Strength in Diversity From the cattle ranch to the classroom, women are helping to pave the way for a better future for agriculture. Hannah talks gender roles and ag history as she explores the growing trend of Wyoming women in the industry.
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Life: Living Beautifully Emily Acklin-Betzler, the faith-based female owner and entrepreneur behind Sheridan’s BoughtBeautifully.Org nonprofit, is giving shoppers a meaningful and easy way to use their purchasing power for good. And it’s oh, so good! Thank us later.
14 Education: New Century Pathway Scholar Sheridan College student Kaycen Townsend was recently selected as Wyoming’s 2018 New Century Transfer Pathway Scholar. More than 2,000 students were nominated from more than 1,600 college campuses across the U.S., and only one is selected from each state!
Women in Agriculture:
STRENGTH in Diversity icture this: An old rancher, skin aged from decades working in hot sun and cold wind, saunters into a University of Wyoming Extension office and asks to speak to the agriculture agent. A young woman in her early 20s walks out, extends her hand and introduces herself as the person he seeks. A befuddled look washing over his face, the old rancher answers, “No, the ag agent.” “He was looking for a man,” said Mae Smith, recounting the memory only 10 years past. She wonders what would have happened if she had worn a skirt that day; although only a piece of clothing, would it have blown her credibility entirely? The story ended well; once he overcame the shock of meeting a woman instead of a man, the old rancher worked with Smith and accomplished his goal. It was perhaps a small victory that contributed to the turning tide of women in agriculture — and to Smith earning her current position as the director of agriculture at Sheridan College.
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Even though the word “agriculture” often conjures images of men in cowboy hats herding cattle through wind-swept Wyoming lands, it shouldn’t be so limited. There should be images of girls, boys, men, and women doing a wide variety of work. “You think of agriculture as the discipline that feeds and nourishes communities in the world,” says Sheridan College Agriculture and Biology Instructor, Dr. Ami Erickson. “Primarily our goal is food production, feeding people, but there’s a lot of things that go into that.”
WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE
To be “in agriculture” is to manage a ranch, plant an orchard, study the economy and stock markets, manage finances, research crop production, conserve natural resources, teach at a university, educate the public about their food, and so much more. To be a woman in agriculture used to be an oddity, Smith said, especially in the realm of
agriculture education. However, in just the last 15 years she has seen a swell of women pursuing agricultural degrees. At Sheridan College alone, Agriculture Department Student Representative Katy Lohse said enrollment over the past 10-15 years has steadily inched closer to 50 percent male and 50 percent female in most ag programs. The most popular degree programs are agricultural business, animal science, and rangeland management with many students eventually returning home to work the family ranch. This 50/50 trend was confirmed by a 2014 study, “The economics of men, women, and work,” which found that from 1940 through the 1990s, women’s participation in all agricultural industries rose from 28 to nearly 60 percent. The same study furthermore determined that the percentage of women earning bachelor’s degrees in agriculture and natural resources rose from 2.7 percent in 1965 to 48.7 percent in 2011.
Agroecology major Kristina Kline completes data collection in the vineyard at Sheridan College | Courtesy photo MARCH / APRIL 2018
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Sheridan College Director of Agriculture Mae Smith examines grasses | Courtesy Photo
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The women in agriculture education at Sheridan College see this as a tremendous positive — for women and for the monumental task of feeding the world. “Anytime we can get more people and more diversity, more men and more women, more ideas, we will learn more and grow more, and that’s just better for everybody,” said former Sheridan College student Kristina Kline. Kline studied agricultural science and horticulture at Sheridan College and will soon finish her bachelor’s degree in agroecology, with minors in horticulture and soil science, at the University of Wyoming. “Anytime we’re not changing, we’re just getting stagnant, and that never ends well.” – Kristina Kline
STRENGTH IN DIVERSITY
As is the case with the ecosystem itself — which thrives when populated with a lush diversity of species — the field of agriculture has been strengthened by the increased diversity of men and women working to nourish the world’s land, animals, and people. It’s no secret men and women think differently; there’s a reason John Gray wrote a book titled, “Men are from Mars, Women are from
Agroecology and horticulture student Kristina Kline harvests grapes in the vineyard at Sheridan College | Courtesy photo
Venus.” Interplanetary comparisons aside however, men and women are from Earth and both are needed to effectively “work the land.” Aforementioned Smith, Erickson, and Kline all noted a handful of strengths women bring to the field of agriculture. While they are not strengths men lack, they are unique strengths that contribute
greatly to agricultural economy and promotion. Two of those strengths being a community mindset, and a different approach.
Community mindset
Women in general excel in communication, education, and relationship building. “I’ve given some impromptu science lessons on Facebook that no one asked for,” Kline said, laughing at her tendency to tell anyone and everyone about how plants grow and why they’re important. This focus on promoting awareness — be it educating children on where food comes from or building relationships between producers and consumers at the local farmers market — will serve to bring greater awareness not only to how food is produced but to the importance of conscientious land management and conservation.
A different approach
Agroecology and horticulture student Kristina Kline completes a low tunnel harvest | Courtesy photo
When asked about the strengths women bring to agriculture, Smith highlighted the story of a friend who brought a unique perspective to the family ranch. The friend worked on her family’s successful cattle ranch but saw the opportunity for even greater success through diversification. With her MARCH / APRIL 2018
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family’s blessing, she bought milk cows and made a side business selling milk and cheese. “That creativity is so vital,” Smith said. “That ability to ask, ‘Can we add something so I can contribute? We’ve been doing it this way, but have we thought of doing it this way?’”
STRENGTH IN KNOWLEDGE
In the 1977-1978 academic year at the University of Wyoming, zero women received an agricultural
doctorate degree. In the 2003-2004 academic year, a staggering 83 percent of agricultural doctorates awarded were conferred to women, according to a 2017 honors thesis by Eilis Hanson. In that same 40-year timeframe, women earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in an agricultural field at UW has increased .5 - .75 percent each year, resulting in 50-60 percent of agricultural degrees being awarded to women in 2016. Some women bring a background in agriculture to their education, and some don’t.
For example, Kline grew up in Alaska without any ag experience. She found a love for small-scale agriculture when her love for skiing landed her in Bozeman, Montana, working for a landscape company. She pursued agricultural education and found a strong role model in Dr. Ami Erickson of Sheridan College. Erickson herself grew up on a small hobby farm outside Casper, Wyoming, and fell in love with the lifestyle of growing and producing plants for food. She worked her way through
Above: Sheridan College Director of Agriculture Mae Smith teaching agriculture in the field. Top Right: Mae rides horses with her family on their ranch near Pinedale when she was younger. Middle Right: Mae monitors rangelands on horseback. Bottom Right: Mae riding horses in Paintrock Canyon | Courtesy Photos
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a bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate, and postdoctorate degree before choosing to become an educator, sowing seeds of knowledge and passion into future generations. Even to young men and women who grew up helping with their family’s agricultural operations and may return home to help manage them, Erickson encourages education. “You definitely learn skills and practical practices from family and the neighbors, but there’s usually other techniques out there,” Erickson said. “Plus with technology and the vastness of information today, to benefit from that you need to break away from just the family circuit and expand your knowledge.” Smith’s parents were both involved in natural resource fields in Pinedale, Wyoming. The family also leased a ranch on the side, where Smith and her sister worked with the cattle every day after school, all summer, and even through the nights during calving season. Not a fan of going to the babysitter, Smith also began working at a plant nursery when she was 8-years-old. “What a great way to grow up,” Smith said. “I really loved that involvement, loved being ingrained.”
STRENGTH IN ROOTS, STRENGTH IN GROWTH
A 2012 study, “Gender roles and agricultural history: The Neolithic inheritance,” estimated that, circa 10,000 BC, women who gathered food provided three-quarters of the daily caloric intake of their communities. Fast forward a few millennia. Mae Smith was in high school when the ranch her family leased was sold, subdivided, and developed. Where there was once grassland, there are now houses. That is the stark reality of agriculture. And, it is one of the reasons Smith delights in teaching students to appreciate and steward the rangelands that remain. Springing from such deep roots — armed with diversity, passion, creativity, knowledge, and a global perspective — women are more poised than ever to preserve, produce, and promote agricultural growth long into the future.
By: Hannah M. Sheely for 82801 MARCH / APRIL 2018
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Living Beautifully
Sheridan’s Emily Acklin-Betzler Crafts Unique Shopping Experiences with Global Impact
Emily & Colin Betzler have lived in Sheridan for over a decade. Emily, originally from Prescott, Arizona, is responsible for the creation and launch of Bought Beautifully, a local nonprofit with a global reach that partners with artisans from around the world to bring their products to a larger market. Emily says that the purpose of Bought Beautifully is to give shoppers an easy way to use their purchasing power for good, and to share love and hope. Empowerment of artisans, particularly disadvantaged groups, is also abundantly front and center at Bought Beautifully, or BB, where shoppers can search for products based on the stories of the people who craft them and the impact that their support will have. According to the organization, in 2017 they provided for 4,308 days of dignified employment, with 39 partners in 18 countries.
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Specific BB impacts include:
Burundi: One month of work lunches for artisans. Uganda: Two months of educational training in finance, health, and business for artisans. Jordan: Four months’ rent for the women’s workshop. Uganda: One month of tuition for 26 children in Gulu.
Peru: Etel Vina, a leader in her sewing co-op, is now able to send her daughter to college. She will be the first in her extended family to do so. Philippines: Hosted their first ever Christmas party to thank their workers, complete with gifts for the workers and their families. Rwanda: Annual health insurance for 50 families.
BB's paper beaded pieces are hand painted by an artisan who has been given new opportunity to express his or herself as an artist, making our jewelry as unique as it is beautiful. Photo Credit: Tuli
Arguably, the value of these impacts is immeasurable. The Betzlers moved to Sheridan because Colin worked a summer at Spear-O-Wigwam, back when it was a dude ranch. “After graduating college, and a few (other) adventures,” Emily says, “a job opened up in Buffalo and we felt it was the right move despite other plans that had already been set in motion.” So, the Betzlers moved to Sheridan, and have been there since 2006.
Azerbaijan: Three months’ worth of business operation costs, including: governmental taxes, material storage, and accounting salary. Visited three new communities to empower talented women interested in a sustainable job with fair wages. Launched new community projects to teach younger people in the community how to knit. Kenya: Three months’ worth of workshop rent, and two months’ worth of lunches.
“We continue to enjoy all the area offers,” Emily says, “but, it’s the friends and community that keep us here without a doubt.” Emily’s friends, family, and colleagues aren’t surprised that she has found a way to make giving into both a business and a lifestyle. Bought Beautifully Sales and Systems Coordinator Sasha Saur has worked with Emily for less than a year, but she is already very fond of her. She says it is obvious that Emily wants to put women with very little means at the forefront, through dignified employment and education. “She is very MARCH / APRIL 2018
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humble, and has the most energy. The amount of energy she puts towards her work is amazing.” Emily's mother, Julie Acklin, once told their hometown newspaper, The Daily Courier, that “… in kindergarten, when she did a project on ‘my wish,’ her wish was to build a big house for the homeless (her father is a contractor). When they went on vacation, her daughter gave food to people on the street. More recently, in school, she anonymously left pots of flowers for the folks who cleaned the locker rooms and dorm bathrooms. And, she volunteered with Yavapai Exceptional Industries and Habitat for Humanity.” In February, Emily broke the news—on the Bought Beautifully blog—that for the next two months, the entire family would be spending time experiencing life with some of their artisan partners in Central America. Colin explained that they would often find themselves “talking shop” at home in the evenings, to the annoyance of their kids. He said that, “…it’s one thing to tell someone why you do something… but it’s a completely different exchange when you’re able to show them why you believe in doing something.” By bringing their kids to Central America, they hope that they can better connect the dots from their daily (and sometimes nightly) work to the actual people their work supports. “A bonus, of course,” Colin adds, “is being able to immerse our family in a different culture to experience new language, customs, foods, and more.” Emily recently answered some questions for 82801 from Nicaragua. A lot of people may be familiar with Fair Trade products. How do you source your products? Is it similar?
All our partners follow Fair Trade guidelines, but not all are formally Fair Trade Certified. Why? Because we primarily work with very small
as simple as where we make a purchase, and how our purchases are capable of creating such a radical change in someone’s life!
producers, and the Fair Trade Certification process is expensive, long, and cumbersome, and often more than our partners can administratively handle— while prioritizing their true mission. To work with Bought Beautifully, our partners have to go through an in-depth application process. One part of our application includes operating by Fair Trade guidelines, which all of our partners agree to do. We are confident in our application process and feel like we can really get to know each company through it, how the products are made and how the people who make the products are treated.
What advice would you give to someone who has an outside of the box idea for a business or nonprofit?
Are there any particular stories that stand out for you where you felt like you really made a difference in people’s lives?
Here, Bought Beautifully owner and founder Emily Acklin-Betzler encourages you to... Be The One: To Make a Difference.
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Yes – too many to share just one! Ultimately, the products we sell truly do empower people, restore hope, and enrich the lives of those making them in significant and tangible ways. We just finished compiling stats from 2017, and our purchases translated to over 4,300 days of dignified employment for our artisan partners. It’s so cool to think about the power we all have in something
Go for it! This is the 21st century, there has never been a better time to think and act on things that are outside the box… Or, maybe even in a circle! As your readers know, it’s an interesting time to be alive with Airbnb being the largest ‘hotel’ without actually owning any properties, and Uber as the largest taxi company without even owning a single taxi. It seems like we no longer use the business as usual
Meet Edilsa, "She has a smile that can light the darkest days, and she has a passion for the people in her community." When you shop Bought Beautifully, you support people all over the world—like Edilsa and her family.
principle anymore, or at least we’re using it less and less, and we think that this can be a good thing. When we first founded Bought Beautifully, our desire to organize as a social good business/charitable organization was sort of hard to explain to people. Ultimately, Bought Beautifully combines our desire to follow Jesus by meeting physical needs – in that the most effective research-proven way to pull people out of poverty is through job creation and economic opportunity. Your blog mentions balancing family and profession. While a lot of people try to cut back on their professional lives for greater balance, you chose to do something else. What is it like to mix the two so completely? Ha! It is an adventure and a learning situation for sure. For us, we want to prioritize the time we get to spend with our children especially while they are young. We also came to a place of faith that made us realize how comfortable and safe our existence has been thus far. We decided it was time to take some risks, to give up some of the typical American dream to become available to following convictions we have had on our hearts for years now, but just hadn’t really been brave (or crazy?) enough to follow-through and quit jobs, forego salaries, work as partners, and re-prioritize
elements of our lives. It’s a different existence than what we are used to, but we’re in a place where we don’t always have the right answers or the perfect strategy, and we are learning a lot in those positions. What were your kids’ feelings before the trip began, and how is it going for them so far? They were generally excited. Hudson, our 7-yearold son, was pretty thrilled thinking of all the animals that live in Central America and the chance he might have to see a few of them. Storie, our 4-year-old, was peripherally excited but also didn’t fully know what she was getting into... Otherwise, she would have likely (preferred to have) stayed at home with her friends, tasty mac n’cheese, and a closet full of clothes. Now that we’ve been here for a few weeks, they are realizing it’s a very different life than they are used to, but they are doing great all things considered. Eating different foods, usually less of them, bug bites, wind, sun, public transportation, loud chaos from time to time... It’s been a rich experience. They definitely will be able to share their own highs and lows by the time we return. How are everyone’s Spanish language skills coming along?
Shaba Brass Bangle. Handcrafted from raw brass, this striking bangle lends just the right amount of weighty significance to the day. Wear it knowing that it also means a significant impact for artisan makers in Kenya ($32, boughtbeautifully.org).
Las palabras ya regresan! Learning a language is a slow process, but our kids are picking up a few new words and phrases everyday. For us, it’s coming back. But, each country has its own take on the language. For example, in Nicaragua they tend to drop the “s”, which has been different for us to hear. All in all, it’s a lot of fun and good (for us) to be out of our comfort zone. Do you have any personal favorite Bought Beautifully products? We have been privileged to work with so many talented artisans and organizations to-date with such an amazing capacity for creating truly beautiful pieces, whether jewelry, art, or home décor. That said, we can’t wait to bring home some of the pieces we’ve been discovering here in Nicaragua! There is much under-appreciated artisanal talent here, and we have found some truly beautiful and unique items. People can see sneak peaks of these products on our social media and then view and purchase them in April at boughtbeautifully.org. #LIVEOUTLOVE #PurchaseWithPurpose Find beautiful handmade jewelry, home décor, scarves, bags, and more in downtown Sheridan at The Union at the Montgomery, located at 15 West Brundage St. Sheridan, Wyoming 82801. Join the movement at boughtbeautifully.org, a curated marketplace of ethical products made by beautiful people from around the world—where you can support what you value through your purchases. By: Kevin Knapp for 82801 MARCH / APRIL 2018
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Sheridan College Student NEW CENTURY
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heridan College student Kaycen Townsend, a health sciences major from Sheridan, was recently selected as Wyoming’s 2018 New Century Transfer Pathway Scholar. More than 2,000 students were nominated from more than 1,600 college campuses across the country, and only one New Century Transfer Pathway Scholar is selected from each state. Townsend is the fifth Wyoming New Century Pathway Scholar in the last six years from the Northern Wyoming Community College District, which includes Sheridan College and Gillette College. New Century Transfer Pathway Scholars are selected based on their academic accomplishments, leadership, activities, and how they extend their intellectual talents beyond the classroom. The program is sponsored by The CocaCola Foundation, the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, Phi Theta Kappa, and the American Association of Community Colleges (“AACC”). Townsend will receive a $2,250 scholarship and be recognized at Phi Theta Kappa’s President’s Breakfast in Dallas, Texas, on April 30th — during the AACC Convention. Townsend is a volleyball student athlete who maintains a 4.0 GPA at Sheridan College. She is President of the National Society of
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“I have received a great education and have grown a lot as a person while I’ve been a student at Sheridan College.” ~ Townsend
Kaycen Townsend at Sheridan College on Mar. 22, 2018.
Named Wyoming’s 2018 PATHWAY SCHOLAR
Leadership and Success and also volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, and other community organizations. She will graduate with her Associate of Science in Health Science this spring, and plans to continue to pursue her Associate Degree in Nursing at Sheridan College. She will begin courses toward her bachelor’s degree concurrently through the Sheridan College partnership with the University of Wyoming. Eventually, Townsend wants to become a nurse practitioner. “I’m honored to receive this award and have the opportunity to represent Sheridan College at the convention in Texas,” said Townsend. “I have received a great education and have grown a lot as a person while I’ve been a student at Sheridan College.” – Townsend Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of community college students to grow as scholars and leaders. The Society is made up of more than 3.5 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in nine nations. Learn more about Phi Theta Kappa at p tk.org. By: Claire Barnes for Sheridan College Republished with permission by 82801
Photo by Sheridan College Photographer Dennis Jacobs.
Source: Northern Wyoming Community College District (NWCCD) is a multi-campus community college serving Sheridan, Campbell, and Johnson Counties. MARCH / APRIL 2018
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