THE AMERICAN CATTLEWOMAN
Q¾a ¶e lÝ Neרle¶¶e zf ¶he Ame icao Na¶izoal Ca¶¶leWzmeo
Finding Your Passion
R¾¶h CzffeÝ, OK | ANCW P e¨ideo¶
Let me ask you a question, Do you have a passion? Is there a passion you believe in that you would like to share with others? What is the definition for “Passion”? There are several definitions for the word, but the version I am using comes from Merriam Webster. They describe my “Passion” version as a strong liking, or desire for, or a devotion to some activity, object, or concept. Have you thought about what your passion for ANCW is?
I do have a strong liking or desire for learning as much as I can from our members. You might say my passion as ANCW President, is being devoted to activities that offer opportunities to attend the NCBA Executive Committee meetings, state affiliate meetings, region meetings, and ANCW business meetings. It is remarkable that our members share similar concepts, beliefs, and standards all across the US. By traveling to your states, I am able to experience the communities you come from, the passions of your hearts, and the issues that concern you.
Each of you as members are the objects for my passion. You bring talents and strengths ANCW must grow and flourish from. Without the diversities of personalities and experiences that you complement us with, our organization would be unable to move forward. Each of YOU are a part of the family photo of ANCW! If we could each share our passion for ANCW with others, the possibilities are endless when it comes to growing our memberships.
If our concept or unifying idea for ANCW is a passion we share, what can you do to make others feel they belong to ANCW? The activities offered at state affiliate meetings, region meetings [cont’d]
IN THIS ISSUE
PHOTO BY KENDRA OROZCO
American National CattleWomen
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THE AMERICAN CATTLEWOMAN
Ame icao Na¶izoal Ca¶¶leWzmeo Q¾a ¶e lÝ Neרle¶¶e
The American CattleWoman is published quarterly: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. The American CattleWoman is designed to promote and develop ANCW programs and membership. It is a newsletter published to inform and serve the membership and to interest individuals in the American National CattleWomen, Inc. association.
BECOME A MEMBER TODAY!
Jzio zolioe a¶ ×××.aoc×.z g/jzio-z - eoe×. ANCW zffe ¨ m¾l¶ile leÖel¨ zf membe ¨hi fz all age¨ zf Ca¶¶leWzmeo.
ANCW ha¨ S¶a¶e Affilia¶e¨ f zm cza¨¶ ¶z cza¨¶! Gz ¶z aoc×.z g ¶z lea o mz e abz¾¶ ¶he Ca¶¶leWzmeo io Ýz¾ ¨¶a¶e.
2024 ANCW Leadership
President: Ruth Coffey - OK
President-Elect: Nikki Weston - UT
Vice President: Casey Matzke - TX
Recording Secretary: Connie Tabor - OK
Executive Director: Ashley Hughes - FL
Treasurer: Melinda Sarman - NV
Past President: Pam Griffin - AZ
Parliamentarian: Wanda Pinnow - MT
BOD Chair: Leslee Lohrenz – MT
Region I Director: Brenda Kocher - OH
Region II Director: Madelene Means - AL
Region III Director: Debbie Chute – MN
Region IV Director: Linda Thorman - TX
Region V Director: Katharine Bruce - OR
Region VI Director: Callie Martinez - CA
Region VII Director: Beckie Christensen - ND
All ez ¶¨ aod × i¶¶eo ma¶e ial a e ¨¾bjec¶ ¶z edi¶iog. Ame icao Na¶izoal Ca¶¶leWzmeo (ISSN1042-5233) (USPS 315 470) i¨ ¾bli¨hed ¾a ¶e lÝ bÝ ¶he Ame icao Na¶izoal Ca¶¶leWzmeo, Ioc. All igh¶¨ e¨e Öed, iocl¾diog ¶he igh¶ ¶z e zd¾c¶izo io ×hzle z io a ¶, ×i¶hz¾¶ × i¶¶eo e mi¨¨izo. Ma ke¶iog z¨¶age aid a¶ S¶. Clz¾d, FL aod addi¶izoal mailiog zffice¨. POSTMASTER: Seod add e¨¨ chaoge¨ ¶z Ame icao Na¶izoal Ca¶¶leWzmeo, A¶¶o: A¨hleÝ H¾gHe¨, PO BzÜ 700038, S¶. Clz¾d, FL 34770.
ANCW Leadership LtR: President Ruth Coffey of Oklahoma, President-Elect Nikki Weston of Utah and Vice President Casey Matzke of Texas.
[continued from cover] and ANCW Business meetings are great opportunities to get our members involved. What an opportunity to establish friendships and working relationships if you make a conscious effort to sit or work with someone you haven’t become acquainted with yet. People or members sitting off to themselves sometimes have some of the best ideas or stories to tell. Last year, Pam, our past President encouraged the officers to get out and meet the members. Our concept for unifying our members should be getting familiar with each of them, invite them to sit with you at meetings, and share your passion for ANCW!
Let me ask you again. What defines your passion for ANCW? We have some great activities for you to be actively involved and encourage someone else to be as well. We have some talented members who might share the same talents as yourself if you get to know them. Read our newsletter, Facebook site, or other links to find the next opportunity for you to meet members and be a part of American National CattleWomen’s family photo.
PHOTO BY MARTIN R. SMITH
ANCW President Elect Report
Nikki Weston, UT | ANCW President-Elect
ANCW Purpose Empower women who share a passion for the beef community
ANCW Mission A beef community dedicated to growing beef demand through education and development
ANCW Vision is to inspire dedication and responsibility in the beef community
Every 5 years the American National CattleWomen updates the long-range plan. It is that time again. ANCW is a completely volunteer-run organization. We want you to have a voice in what the future holds. From the beginning some 73 years ago ANCW has always focused on the three pillars of Beef Promotion, Education, and Legislation. This last long-range plan also focused on the membership. The measurable specifics included increased WIRED attendance by 25% which has been exceeded and 4 WIRED events a year. There are so many applicants this year that there has been some talk of more than 4 per year. What is important to you that ANCW should focus on? This is your organization and your opinion matters. Please help us build the future of ANCW by completing this survey at https://forms.gle/TBbya928ibrwMkcg9 or follow this QR Code
Have you considered being part of ANCW leadership? The qualifications to run for vice president are:
a. Have served 1 year as an elected voting member on the executive committee, either past or present b. Or have served as an ANCW Administrative committee or marketing committee chair or co-chair for at least a year, or served as a working group manager (example CBAP) for 2 years.
c. Or have served as a member-at-large on the ANCW Board of Directors for a 3 year term.
Do you qualify? All committees are accepting volunteers if you would like to qualify. Applications are on the ANCW website and are due before the winter convention.
ANCW Vice President Report
Casey Matzke, TX | ANCW Vice President
Hi all my fellow CattleWomen! This year seems to be flying by! The past month I was able to attend the Region 4 meeting in Eureka, Springs. Having never been to Eureka Springs before, I was very excited to attend. The town in beautiful! It reminded me of an old small mountain town high in the mountains. The meeting had some educational speakers along with business meetings and a few tours.
This was practice for me as I prepare to head to the Region 3 anf 7! Region 3 and 7 meetings will be hosted in Kansas City, Missouri at the end of May. I am super excited to meet all my fellow CattleWomen in these regions and get to know some of them. The meetings look super exciting with lots of great tours involved. I know Mattie and I are looking forward to this event.
Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the Animal Ag Alliance conference. I had an emergency family situation pop up and needed to stay home. Brenda Kocher came in clutch for me by attending this year and she had a great time! On top of that, she won our ANCW silent auction item!
I am gearing up for Summer Convention and looking forward to the rest of the year!
Your membership committee is hard at working preparing for summer conference. We have a lot of exciting things coming your way!
First up, I want to congratulate one our newest Lifetime Members, Glenna Fisher! As I was giving the membership update at Region 4, she stepped up and decided to become a Lifetime Member! Congratulations to Karen Smith for becoming another one of our newest Lifetime Members! If you know these ladies, be sure to give them a shout out, hug or high five!
The membership committee is currently working on updating our lapsed member policy and hope to have something to present at the next Executive meeting. We are also working on a new membership drive and hope to have everything ready to go at Summer conference. Get your states ready to jump in on this membership drive and get a chance at some cool prizes. We are also working on our mentorship program we are hoping to enact along with updating our policy and procedures. More information will be coming about both of these at summer conference.
We currently have 962 active members with 292 lapsed. Once our lapsed member policy is approved, we will be able to get that number lowered. We are also reaching out to all the lapsed collegiate members and offering them their free year of membership if they have graduated. Know any collegiate members that have graduated and would love to be a part of ANCW? Send them our way.
We are excited about the action items that are coming out of the membership committee and look forward to sharing them with the rest of the organization. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out!
San Antonio, TX
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3
ANCW Tours
ANCW Meetings
ANCW Meetings
Animal Ag Alliance Summit
Brenda Kocher, OH | Region I Director
I had the pleasure of attending the 2024 Animal Ag Alliance Stakeholders Board meeting and Summit in Kansas City, Missouri, from May 7-9, 2024. The theme was 'Ready, Set, Solve.' The Animal Ag Alliance, a nonprofit 501(c), plays a critical role in ensuring the longevity of the animal agriculture industry for future generations by providing important information on animal welfare. They bring together all sectors of the agriculture industry, uniting us as one voice to promote what is best for the animals entrusted to us. The Alliance arms the farm and food communities with resources on farm security, animal rights extremism, and legislative monitoring.
The summit began with the Stakeholders Board meeting, where I had the privilege to represent ANCW by proxy for Caskey Matzke, who holds a board member spot. On Wednesday and Thursday morning, the Animal Ag Alliance Summit featured a terrific lineup of speakers. I quickly realized how important the Alliance is to ANCW and the beef industry. They connect, engage, and protect our industry through education, media contacts, and industry relationships, countering misinformation spread by certain animal rights extremist groups about the agriculture industry.
If you consume meat protein or use dairy products, supporting the Alliance is crucial, as they help bridge the gap from farm to fork, enabling people to better understand the animal agriculture community. Thank you for entrusting me to represent ANCW.
ANCW Nominating Committee
Pam G iffio, AZ | Immedia¶e Pa¨¶ P e¨ideo¶
The Nominating Committee had their first meeting on May 20th. As committee members, we as a team have certain obligations per our Bylaws and Policies and Procedures to qualify and seek out potential new leadership together. As we identify those that are qualified, we will reach out to discuss the interest an individual may have to move forward. We are happy to assist those interested along their path to ANCW leadership. We are here to help you reach your goals within ANCW. We make sure that along with considering submission in the application process that you are familiar with the obligations of the position you would like to apply for as well.
If you know of someone that you believe would be interested in applying for leadership position(s), let us know, we are happy to contact them and confirm that they have everything they need in order to apply for the position(s).
Please reach out to any of us to ask questions about what is needed to qualify to apply for a leadership position, are interested in the pathway to leadership, or have questions about what the required duties of a position may be that you are interested in. We are here to help you along the way together.
You are welcome to contact myself as Chair of the Nominating Committee or Reba Mazak as Co-Chair.
Thank you for considering this great opportunity to serve the membership!
2024 NCBA - PAC Auction
Reba Maçak, FL | NCBA PAC Re e¨eo¶a¶iÖe fz ANCW
American National CattleWomen stand on three pillars: Education, Promotion, and Legislation.
The membership of ANCW understands the value in having a presence and voice with our legislators. ANCW proudly participated in the NCBA-PAC auction in New Orleans for a South Texas Helicopter hog hunt. In March Ben White, a Florida cattlemen and guest Ryan arrived at Gun Hill Ranch in Uvalde Texas. They enjoyed a great hunt both days and were shown around the Gun Hill ranch. Points of interest were shared about the hunting and cattle operations that are in place, as well as the history of the ranch and how the ranch became part of the Mazak family’s legacy.
Ben and Ryan, (both farm and ranch in the panhandle of Florida) with their respective families have a great understanding of the need for the PAC and the value we receive as members of state and national organizations. American National CattleWomen are actively lobbying at our nations capital as an organization. We will be traveling in September to Washington D.C. and will be working with NCBA staff for in person meetings with representatives and have briefings from staff so we can be up to date on our issues. Watch our website and Facebook page for information. ANCW has an active legislative committee that does a great job getting the issues to our members so we can act upon them.
As the ANCW representative on the NCBA-PAC committee I can tell you we are taking action and our agriculture organizations are well respected on the hill. I encourage you to get involved, advocate and let your voice be heard. We are currently looking for an auction item for the NCBA-PAC for #cattlecon25. Please contact myself or any member of the executive committee for ideas or donations.
Again, thank you Ben White of Florida for supporting American National CattleWomen and the PAC.
WIRED PROGRAM
Becca Johnson, KS and Jennie Hodgen, IN | WIRED Directors
The Women in Ranching - Education and Development (WIRED) Committee proudly reports three successful events were held in the past quarter. The WIRED seminars held in conjunction with both Region 1 and Region 2 meetings were vastly different but similarly filled with learning and fellowship. We are incredibly thankful for our sponsors and partners in hosting these events. Ohio State University and Tennessee River Music were wonderful venues with welcoming and knowledgeable people. Moly Manufacturing provided an unforgettable experience for the Northeast region attendees by bringing Temple Grandin. Many local sponsors provided food, taught sessions, and otherwise supported our host teams and our mission.
We also held an information session for any organization or individuals interested in hosting a WIRED event in 2025. This conversation was recorded and the revised toolkit will be available later this summer. Please find us at summer conference, or reach out to wired@ancw.org to receive this information or discuss any questions. We encourage all those interested to submit a request for consideration no later than October.
For this summer, we are heading west! We are excitedly preparing for the WIRED seminar hosted by Midland Bull Test and Trailhead Cattlewomen in Columbus, Montana on June 7-8.Registration for this event is open from now until June 3rd, and can be found by scanning the QC code below.
A final WIRED event will be hosted this September in southern California. We encourage you to grab your best cowgal pal and join us!
Jennie, Becca, Gwen, and Barbara
COLLEGIATE BEEF ADVOCATE PROGRAM
Ka¶ie KiÜmille (IN) aod A¨hleÝ EÖao¨ (NV) | CBAP Di ec¶z ¨
The Collegiate Beef Advocacy Team had a busy spring with putting on different beef advocacy events, speaking at meetings, and representing beef on trade show floors. Along with that, the team had spread the word that our application was due June 1st to college aged kids around the country to increase interest in our program.
Brittley was able to speak to the Texas CattleWomen about CBAP and her year as an advocate so far. She also got to hear from amazing speakers about what is going on in their state and how she could better advocate for the state of Texas that endured a lot these past couple of months. Chaylee was able to partner with the Nebraska Beef Ambassador, Allison Wallbrecht, and gave a presentation focused around beef nutrition to Fillmore Central high school students. She then attended the Nebraska State FFA convention with the Nebraska Cattlemen and represented the CBAP by talking to students passing by and asking trivia questions.
Brittley and Chaylee both conducted spring on campus advocacy events where they were boots on the ground talking all things beef to anyone that would listen and answer any questions people had. Brittley handed out coupons to fellow students so they could enjoy locally sold beef. Chaylee was able to take a visual aid and set up a booth in lunch hours to talk and give out beef byproducts.
The @beefadvocates social media celebrated May as beef month the whole thirty-one days with posts highlighting all the sectors of the beef industry, recipes to use beef, and showing appreciation for producers across the world. Follow along on both Facebook and Instagram to keep up with all they put out for the world to see. Applications were due June 1st and we are currently deep in the reviewing and interviewing process. The new 2024-25 team will be announced August 1st so watch out on social media for those announcements.
We are also constantly searching for sponsors and donations to help our advocates in their roles, if you would like to become a sponsor go to our website under the CBAP tap or email ancw.cbap@gmail.com
ANCW Foundation
Laoa Sla¶eo, AL | ANCW Fz¾oda¶izo P e¨ideo¶
The Foundation is pleased to announce the Legacy Scholarship recipients for this year are JessaLynn Hudson of Belvidere, NE (picture left) and Erica WellsKleman of Glencoe, OK (pictured right). The caliber of candidates that apply for these scholarships is outstanding and we are honored to have such amazing young people involved in the agriculture industry and ANCW!
Thank you to all who support the ANCW Foundation and work to make these scholarships a reality.
ANCW Education Committee
Debbie Tz e¨, CA | Ed¾ca¶izo Czmmi¶¶ee Chai
“MÝ me¨¨age i¨ ¨imle. Hzoz , Imagioe, C ea¶e. B¾ild b idge¨ ¶h z¾gh ¶he a ¶¨ aod ¨¶z ie¨ zf Ýz¾ c¾l¶¾ e. Valida¶e aod ¨ha e ¶he¨e Öi¨izo¨ aod Özice¨”.
Shonto Begay, “Tell Stories of Contemporary Native American Life”
Region VI Review - The attendees of the Region VI Meeting were in for a treat hosted by the New Mexico Cowbelles. The conference held in Las Cruses, NM, was jammed packed with outstanding speakers, educational, and leadership opportunities. We toured the New Mexico State Universities New Meat Science Lab, Feed Mill and Processing Floor. They spared no expense in building an excellent facility. Speakers included in this meeting went from the Regent of the University to the New Mexico Beef Council Nutritionist to the NMSU Meat Lab Professor, as well as some of the wonderful sponsors. There was networking and sharing of Educational Projects with hands on projects for classroom use. We were served some cultural dishes located in places such as the Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum and wine and music at the Rio Grande Winery. A great educational good time was had by all. Thank you, New Mexico for an outstanding Region meeting.
Book List - YES, YES, YES! Hope you all received the Blast of our Book of the Month opportunities for the month of May - National Beef Month. Some fun books to cook with your kids and students. Make sure you pass these choices to all your favorite friends and teachers.
Moove To Reading- It should concern us all, that we get our students reading at thei It starts with us reading to them at a young age. Check with your local teachers to see if you can do a reading program in their classroom. Should a program not be available, work as a unit and create a program. Make your program fun and exciting. Discuss your program with the teacher. Your program can be as small or as large as you want to make it. Dress up as one of the characters in the book you would be reading. Or better yet, get several others to dress as well and make a production out of the book. Make it fun! Ok, so the school won’t let you in the classroom. Try hosting a read-a-thon at the local Library, Community Centers or Women’s Clubs. Offer to be a host reader at a daycare center or in a pre-K class. Getting us back into the classroom to tell our stories is essential.
San Diego Convention – Hope to see you all at the Summer Business Meeting in San Diego. We will be having a committee meeting there. Our committee budget will be discussed. Besides, the weather is beautiful and warm.
“The most powerful thing you can give to a child is a dream. I hope every child knows what is possible if you follow your dream”.Quote by: Billy Mills -Running Strong for American Indian Youth.
Region I Update
Brenda Kocher, OH | Region I Director
Busy is an understatement for CattleWomen in Region I, it has been busy not just with their cattle farms, but also with our organization. March 14 -17 Ohio CattleWomen had their store booth at the Ohio Beef Expo selling beef related items, along with promoting OCW and raffling off a Black Stone Grill. April 5-6, 2024, I had the pleasure to attend The Ohio State University facilities and OSU/ATI for our American National Cattlewomen WIRED (women in Ranching education and development) event. This was a combined event with the, 2024 East Ohio Women in Agriculture Conference that I attended. The Ohio Cattlewomen hosted our Region I meeting and was the Co- Host for our WIRED event along with the college of OSU/ATI, we had 160 people in attendance. My vision when I became ANCW Region 1 Director in 2023 was to have a WIRED event come to the Eastern USA. With the help of Dee Jepson taking on the role of Chairman of this Event along with Heather Neikirk (these two fine ladies work for OSU, and agreed to work with me) we were able to accomplish this task that we first started planning last year at the Ohio Beef Expo. These are fun educational programs that the ANCW and sponsors put together to advocate for the beef industry. Our WIRED Co-Chairmen are Jennie Hodgen and Rebecca Johnson was also involved with being able for us to bring this event to Ohio. Thank you Gwen Geis a seasoned WIRED helper all the way from Wyoming. Dr. Temple Grandin was the keynote speaker sponsored by Molly Mfg. she taught us about cattle behavior and how to work your herd efficiently. Our Region I Dinner was sponsored by CKP Insurance, Terry Jarrett from Florida spoke to us. We also had the pleasure of having a special guest for dinner. Dr. Temple Grandin, Nikki Weston, ANCW President Elect, Who spoke and helped run the business motion of our meeting. Future Region I meeting date of March 28-29, 2025, for the next meeting. Location is still to be determined.
Region II Update
Madelene
Means, AL | Region II Director
The Region II Meeting hosted in Fort Payne, Alabama by Alabama Cattlewoman State President Shelby Easterling and the Alabama CattleWomen in April was the highlight of the quarter. The meeting was held in conjunction with a WIRED event. ANCW members and guests from all over the Region enjoyed hands-on learning from the WIRED team, guest speakers, and were blessed with a generous host in the Tennessee River Music Inc owner/operators.
Madelene Means from Alabama was appointed the Acting Regi open Director position are held in 2025. Any interested parties, contact ANCW Executive Director Ashley Hughes to submit a nomination for the next Region II Director. This is also the season the ANCW Nominating Committee is looking for future national officers and the nomination process is beginning. Region II members feel free to contact Region II Director and Nominating Committee member Madelene Means (via the ANCW directory) or the ANCW website to nominate potentially interested personnel.
Georgia Cattlewomen have been hard at work for two years on a labor of love – Cattle Educational Trunks. The trunks have been featured in several venues including the Georgia Farm Bureau and the Georgia Beef Board. The trunks are available on loan/check-out from Georgia county representatives in all ten Georgia Farm Bureau districts. If any ANCW leader or member is interested in the Cattle Educational Trunks, be sure to visit the website https://www.georgiacattlewomen.org/ . Georgia Cattlewomen will soon have on-line curriculum content available on the GCWA website; if you want to get on the Cattle Educational Trunk email list, send a message to the Georgia Cattlewomen via their website. Georgia Cattlewomen are also offering one element of the Cattle Educational Trunks for sale to the public - the educational Hamburger Pillow. Pre-orders for the Hamburger Pillow are being taken on their website https://www.georgiacattlewomen.org/ . This is a magnificent educational tool!
Cattlewomen of Region II continue to be involved in the community and recognize community youth with annual scholarships and awards. Alabama Cattlewomen awarded the Louise Wilson Showmanship Scholarship to high school Senior Emsley Lovelace in recognition of her leadership, academic excellence, and ties to the Alabama beef industry. Florida Cattlewomen will co-sponsor (with the Florida Cattlemen’s Association) the Justin Gill Memorial Trade School Scholarship recognizing agricultural related involvement and academic achievement. A winner will be announced at June’s annual convention. Tennessee Cattlewomen will cosponsor (with the Tennessee Cattlemen’s Association) four scholarships for outstanding students pursuing careers in the beef industry with an application deadline of June 1. Florida Cattlewomen sponsor a County Pride Display Board contest where contestants compete for the best beef industry promotion. Winners will be selected at Florida’s annual convention in June.
Our Region II Cattlewomen are also busy advocating for beef and agriculture across many settings and continue to lead from the front. Several Region II Cattlewomen were recognized within state organizations for their efforts to include Georgia Cattlewoman Pam Walters as Georgia Cattlewoman of the Year at the Georgia annual convention and Georgia Cattlewoman Betty Jo Greene inducted into the Georgia Cattlewoman's Hall of Fame during that same annual convention. ANCW members are busy outside the organization representing
beef, agriculture, education and excellence. Florida Cattlewoman and past state president Cassie Holloway was recognized by US Congressman Gus Bilirakis and awarded the US Congressional “Heros Among Us” Award in March.
Alabama Cattlewoman and Past ANCW President Evelyn Greene was asked to speak to the next generation of women in agriculture at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. Florida Cattlewoman and current Florida State President Rebecca Finely was asked to be a judge in the National Pie contest which included a savory pie category and exerted all her influence for a BEEF savory pie!
As the Florida Cattlewomen say, we are “All Inside the Same Fence” doing the work to advocate for the Beef Industry and educating the world one person and one event at a time.
Region III Update
Debbie Chute, MN | Region III Director
As I sit here in North Central Minnesota, I am praying for all those who have been affected by the violent weather a large part of our country has experienced this spring. I pray you, your family, and livestock are safe and if you had damage to your property, it was nothing major. In Minnesota, the grass is growing, the trees are budding, and farmers are patiently (or maybe not so patiently) waiting to get into the fields. We have had a lot more rain than usual over the past few weeks. The fields are too wet to do spring farm work, and it is a little early to be planting in my area. I hope your spring farm/ranch work has been successful, your calves are healthy and growing, and your cows are coming back after calving so they will get bred this year.
Cattlewomen in Region III have been busy presenting Ag in the Classroom at their local schools, visiting legislators at their state capitals, planning our region meeting, and other events happening in their local area and their states. Of course, in addition to all of that, there is also the work that makes us CattleWomen!
By the time you are reading the summer issue of our ANCW newsletter, our Region 3 and 7 ANCW meeting will be in the past. I will have an update in our fall newsletter. I do hope you are able to join us in San Diego, July 7 and 8 for our 2024 Summer Business Meeting. There is a virtual option if you are not able to attend in person. Information and registration links are on the ancw.org website. Another event taking place in California this year is WIRED, September 28 and 29 in Julian, CA. San Diego County Cowbelles are hosting the event. Information can be found on ancw.org. Registration will open mid-June.
An upcoming date to put on your calendars is the 2025 ANCW Annual Meeting. It will be held in San Antonio the first week of February. 2025. I realize this is months away, but if your calendar fills up as fast as mine does, you will want to get these dates set aside now.
Be safe. As always, if you have questions, concerns, or anything I can help you with, please contact me. As Roy Rogers and Dale Evans sang “Happy Trails to you, until we meet again.”
Region IV Update
Lioda Thz mao, TX | Regizo IV Di ec¶z
Greetings from Texas…I am Linda Thorman, newly elected 2025 Region IV Director. I, along with my husband, farm and ranch in north central Texas, 25 miles south of the Texas-Oklahoma border in northern Archer County in North Star Community, which is south of Wichita Falls. We raise registered Black Angus Cattle.
There are three things that are of utmost importance in my life. At the very top of the list is God, my Creator and Provider of all that He has given me to care for and manage. Secondly, is my family. My husband of 37 years is my business partner and the biggest supporter and encourager of CattleWomen at local, state, and national levels. Our oldest daughter, her husband and daughter live in Asheville NC, the middle son, his wife and two children reside in Charlotte, NC, and the youngest son, wife, and their sixth month old son are in Dallas, TX. And the third importance in my life is CattleWomen. I am a member of the Wichita Falls Area CattleWoman, having served as secretary, vice-president, and president. At the state level I have served as secretary, vice-president, and presently serving as president-elect.
And now I look forward to serving Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas as your Region IV Director and working with the other Region Directors across the U. S.
I would like to thank Arkansas CattleWomen for hosting our May 2024 Region Meeting. It was indeed a jammed packed two days which included a tour of a lavender farm where we also had lunch, which included of course, lavender tea, lavender ice cream, and lavender scones!
There was a tour of the Osage Cultivation Center with the day ending at the Garner Ranch with a wonderful time of fellowship and evening meal. Saturday was business meeting day. Cheyenne Sparks, our Region Director, ran the meeting and we heard from both ANCW President, Ruth Coffey and President-elect, Nikki Weston. Throughout the day drawings were held with recipients being presented with lovely gifts given by local and state chapters.
I would like to say “A Huge Thank You” to Cheyenne Sparks. In the few short days since I have now been appointed as Region IV Director, Cheyenne has been an encourager, supporter, and tremendous help to me. She has given unselfishly of her time to help make this transition for you and I, as members of Region IV a smooth one. I thank her the work and service she has put forth for ANCW.
I have tall boots to fill!
Please feel free to contact me via phone, texting or email. My cell number is 940-704-2530 and email is lthormanwf@gmail.com if I can be of any assistance to you or your chapter. I look forward to serving along side you and for you.
Region V Update
Katharine Davis, OR | Region V Director
CattleWomen in Region V are once again on the move!
Spring calves are growing and fall calves are growing out to be sold. Drought conditions have reared their ugly head in grazing areas throughout our region and beyond. Many of us are adapting to life with wolves and sadly, are fortunate enough to have Cattlewomen who are seasoned veterans when it comes to dealing with them, to show us how to protect our livestock and way of life. In our industry, we are blessed to have each other as neighbors! We look forward to sharing the stories of what we have learned from the spring seasons’ challenges and blessings. Throughout our region, we have been reading books about ranching and beef to school children, hosting farm and ag expos to tell the beef story to consumers, hosting Ranch tour days for hands on learning experiences for fourth graders, educating the public about beef by-products, handing out recipes and encouraging young cooks to learn how to provide a good beef meal, advocating through podcasts and blogs, and reaching out to the public as guest speakers at events.
We are moving into summer with a positive beef, It’s what for dinner attitude! This year our Region V meeting will be held in Columbus, Montana, June 7-8. This gathering will provide an opportunity for learning, sharing, and growing as strong beef advocates. Please join us in Montana for the regional meeting and get involved with your fellow cattlewomen! Our meetings truly are a time of cattlewomen friendship and development. See you all there if not before! Remember that our work is never done, and our future is in our young CattleWomen and Cattlemen.
Region VI Update
Callie Martinez, CA | Region VI Director
The American National CattleWomen Region VI Meeting met in Las Cruces, New Mexico at New Mexico State University on April 11-12. Region VI covers the following -states: Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. This region meeting was hosted by the New Mexcio CowBelles. We were fortunate to have 105 ladies in attendance.
We were honored to have our own Nikki Weston from Utah to come and participate in our meeting. Nikki gave a great overview of ANCW. Nikki did a great job of sharing her family history with the ladies and how her heritage has helped to shape her into the wonderful leader which she is today with American National CattleWomen. She is definitely passionate about the industry, and finding ways to keep all generations involved in our organization. President Elect Nikki Weston assisted and facilitated the elections for region VI. Elections took place and the following ladies were elected to the following committee: Budget: Julie Barnett, CA; Membership: Karen Allen, Nevada; Public Relations: Haley Davis, UT; Ways and Means: Vonda Frost, New Mexico. An election was also held for Region VI Director, as the term which Callie Martinez was appointed to last year to complete Nikki Weston’s term finishes in January at the Convention. A very tight election took place between Callie Martinez, CA and Brandee Mills, UT. It was a very close election, and Callie was re-elected and will serve from 2025-2027.
The New Mexico CowBelles put together a great program, and we all learned something new. They chose some hard topics that all of us don’t like to talk about. They definitely reminded us that we need to make sure to have things in line for Succession Planning. I know most women in the room hope to have their operations available to go onto future generations if they so choose when the time comes. We also had the privilege of touring the new meats lab at New Mexico State University after hearing from the lead professor.
This year, Callie and Brandee plan to work closely together to plan open meetings throughout the year to hear about the other states programs in our region, as we share what is going on in our own states. A big topic which will be discussed is the Beef Ambassadors, possibly having each state do an evening of sharing what their Beef Ambassador contest looks like and what they do throughout the year. I also plan to have open conversation with our committee chairman, and would like to remind everyone that committee meetings are always open to our ANCW members.
Region VII Update
Beckie Christensen, ND | Region VII Director
Hello from Region VII… By the time many of you get the newsletter Region III and Region VII will have had their annual meeting in St. Joseph, Missouri.
There has been a lot of activity within the state of North Dakota. They are getting ready for their annual meeting in June at Fort Ransom, North Dakota. May is Junior Beef Reader Month in North Dakota.
District V in ND has held several schoolbook readings throughout their district. Kathy Tokach, Mary Froelich and Mary Jean Hunter were the ladies attending the schools, reading the books and donating them to the school libraries. In District IV, Sue Mosser went to South Heart School, read to the students, and donated the books to the library as well. They also participated in the Farm to Gym activities at the Morton County Farm Bureau Ag Day event. Judy Haider and Mary Schmidt attended the Farm and Ranch Day at Selfridge School with the support of Cloverdale Foods that provided All-Beef Tangy Beef sticks for the students. They also shared lots of information about beef and beef byproducts as well. Great work ladies!
PHOTO BY MARTIN R. SMITH
District I held their 5K Beef Strong walk with several future Cattlewomen enjoying the ride in strollers. They will be passing out beef sticks at the Blood Drive later this month. They have several other events coming up that I will address in the next newsletter.
The ladies in District VII did their Beef Strong walk on May 4th with several strollers in attendance as well. They are hosting the State annual meeting and are preparing for that as well.
South Dakota has been busy with a few events as well.
Chaylee Tonniges was very busy in her position as CBAP representative. The following is her report on activities: In March I partnered with the Nebraska Beef Ambassador, Allison Wallbrecht. Gave a presentation focused around Beef nutrition to Fillmore Central high school students. At the beginning of April, I attended the Nebraska State FFA convention with the Nebraska Cattlemen and represented the CBAP by talking to students passing by and asking trivia questions. This was a great opportunity to connect with young agriculturalists and recruit the next classes of Beef advocates! I attended the University of Nebraska Lincoln rodeo on Saturday May 4 to educate inner city students about beef! I had a booth with a wooden steer standing sign with common products that have beef byproducts in them ranging from shampoo, makeup, softballs, and hamburger helper. I served 140 students that afternoon and handed out worksheets with beef nutrition, byproducts, and ChapSticks! May 1 I was given the opportunity to join the Nebraska Cattlemen, Nebraska Beef Council, and Nebraska Department of Agriculture at the state capitol. This day, Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen signed a proclamation declaring May is Beef Month in Nebraska. It was an honor to represent and witness this momentous event! I was also able to help educate inner city middle school students from Grand Island and Omaha at Nebraska’s Ag Sack Lunch days program. This event is held at the capitol building in Lincoln Nebraska. They received a sack lunch and learned about the different parts of agriculture that were provided in their lunch and that makes up Nebraska. My contribution was a beef goody bag including a coloring book and info sheets provided by the Beef Checkoff, bags through the Nebraska Cattlemen’s, and a swag Item from the CBAP team! I was able to sit with these students over lunch and hear their thoughts about beef and help them work through misconceptions in our industry.
I will be attending the Montana Cattlewomen’s WIRED event the second weekend in June. Am looking forward to Summer ANCW meeting in San Diego. Hope to see you all there
Arizona State Cowbelles 2024 Influencer Tour
Trina Sue Riggs, Arizona State Cowbelles
On April 15th, 2024 the Arizona State Cowbelles (ASC) hosted their second Gate to Plate Style Ranch Tour in Green Valley at the Santa Rita Ranch. The entrance welcomes visitors in with their name proudly displayed and they motto of “Faith – Family – Agriculture”. It set the perfect tone for the rest of the day. The Cowbelles have dubbed this activity their “Influencer Tour”. They are planning on making this an annual event for their group after the last two years of successful networking. It is all about educating attendees from around the state about all things Beef. It is called fondly called an “Influencer” tour because as their President Trina Sue Riggs said “The goal is to talk to the people that talk to people. The more people that we can teach the further our message can go.”
This year ASC hosted 10 guests. The group included chefs from the Flagstaff area, a few social content creators, local educators, and a cooperative extension agent. It was an eclectic group that made for a lot of fun conversations. It was weaning time around the ranch and all the beautiful Red Angus Claves were on their “best”(or normal) behavior and were a great background to the tour. 7 Cowbelles participated at tour guides, including a cattle veterinarian. They were all thankful for the opportunity to share about their ranching heritage and work to raise beef.
The guests got to see the curious and sometimes opportunistic side of the calves by picking up feed from the feed bunks for the calves to come check out. The calves always obliged because who knows it may be magically different if it is hand fed to them. The guests did not only get to be out in the pens, but got a tour of the barn and working facilities. At each part of the tour the discussions varied but everything centered around ranching and the beef industry.
Right before lunch everyone gathered around to look over a map of the ranch. Micaela McGibbon is the ASC vice president, and she and her husband Andrew were generous enough to host this tour. They described the pasture system and that water supplies the ranch maintains for their cattle yearround are also crucial to support the wildlife in the area. With dozens of drinkers “not in use for cattle today” at any given time, because of rotational grazing, the wildlife would not survive if the water was unavailable. Rotational grazing is a term that may be very common in the ranching industry today, but not everyone understands it like a rancher may. It was explained how the land, and the cattle, can all benefit from it in many cases and how it can improve an ranching operation.
Another one of a rancher’s biggest challenges faced today is when they are ranching on public access land; which is a large majority of ranchers in the western states. The amount of litter and disregard some of the public show to our ranch land is stressful, expensive, and can be dangerous to our livestock. Cattle are prone to munch on anything and everything; and things like mylar balloons or plastic bags can be fatal if ingested.
Lunch was a Cowboy style delight of steak, potatoes, and beans with lots of sides. A Cowbelle sat at each table during lunch to share many insights they could with the guests and to answer questions that may have come to mind.
This outcome of networking in a beautiful setting while sharing a love for food and the land, had the potential to reach the combined 233,588 social media followers of the influencers in attendance. This program is made possible by a longstanding partnership of the Arizona State Cowbelles and the
San Luis Obispo County Ranching Month
Sao L¾i¨ Obi¨z Cz¾o¶Ý, Califz oia Ca¶¶leWzmeo
This photo is of the San Luis Obispo County, California CattleWomen with our San Luis Obispo County board of supervisors. The board unanimiously voted and approved to proclaim February, 2024 as " San Luis Obispo County Ranching Month." This is celebrated in conjunction with the nation wide 'Meat Month." We are pictured with our supervisors and holding our proclamation resolution. This began a month long list of activities that promote beef and the ranching way of life. Photographed from left: Melody Fountain, Tracy Nicholson, Suze Evenson ,Lesa John, Susan Jones, Fran Pritchard and Fran Tognazzini.
Thank you from the New Mexico CowBelles!
Michelle G eemao, Ne× MeÜicz Cz×belle¨ P e¨ideo¶
Good neighbors are a blessing, and speaking of neighbors - in April we got a visit from some of our own. It was our pleasure to host the ANCW Region VI Meeting in Las Cruces on April 11-12. Cattlewomen from Arizona, California, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah all gathered for a packed two days of presentations, meetings, hands on beef education lessons to take home, and a tour of the meat lab and feed mill at NMSU’s College of ACES. The weather was just about as beautiful as it could get for spring in New Mexico!
I have to admit it was my first Region meeting. I was so impressed by the caliber of ladies who joined us! Each of them are passionate about the beef industry and our way of life. Young and mature alike, we all were on the same page about where we are and where we need to go to continue supporting ranchers in their pursuit of beef production and stewardship. We learned how social media interactions can help with that, how to expand our thinking and partnerships with our state Beef Councils, how to value our members and the time they commit to our organizations, and how new technology can be of assistance for things like fences (or lack of fences). We had a great set of workshops on how we can help educate youth and adults alike about the nutritional value of beef and how ranching is a sustainable industry through stewardship. Our panel discussion gave a chance to laugh at some of the “worst advice ever given” and we also learned how to plan for the future of our operations through careful and diligent succession planning. To showcase the new facilities at NMSU was encouraging as the college is really working to teach ans expand their reach. Not to mention that our Beef Ambassadors shined a bright light on the future of agriculture by being there. I can honestly say I think we all left Las Cruces a little brighter and more encouraged than when we arrived. The opportunity to network with new friends and catch up with old ones was just icing on the cake. I would be remiss though, if I didn’t give huge THANK YOU to our sponsors! Your support really helped make our meeting shine. To our Planning Committee- you knocked it out of the park and were amazing hosts. To our speakers- you left a lasting impression that gave us something to go home and work on. To our attendees- thanks for coming! We truly hope you enjoyed your time in New Mexico!
GOLDEN COWBELLES CORNER
S¾bmi¶¶ed bÝ Jeaooie Kieho, Wa¨hiog¶zo Ca¶¶leWzmeo
Throughout the history of ANCW/ANCB, Washington State CattleWomen can only boast one ANCW President, Rose Harris! She will turn 101 years old on July 27th and is still going strong as one of ANCW’s oldest Golden Cowgirls. Rose was the Washington State CattleWomen’s president in 1973. Then in 1979, she was installed as the American National CowBelle’s (ANCB) President.
Raised on a timber and Hereford cattle ranch in Grangeville, Idaho, Rose grew up loving ranch life. Her father also worked at the Lewiston, Idaho cattle sale yard. Rose expresses, “I was one of three daughters, but the only one that was blond and blue-eyed. My sisters and I learned ranching early on from our father, but we also learned how to cook and sew and take care of the home.”
After graduating from high school, Rose attended college in Lewiston, ID. She met her husband to be, Fred, at a dance in Dayton, WA a couple years later. After marriage, Fred and Rose moved to a farm in Southeast Washington, west of Walla Walla. Rose says, “We worked and saved and got our land paid off in ten years.” They spent 50 years on their ranch where they also raised Herefords and farmed wheat. Rose says while living on the ranch, she learned to ride an ATV, build fence in mountain pastures, and load and haul hay amongst many other firsts. After retiring from ranching, Fred and Rose moved to Spokane, Washington. They sold their cattle but kept the mountain land and wheat ground. During the years on the farm, they owned and raised burros, mules, sheep, goats, chickens, Shetland horses and of course, cattle. They raised two daughters on the ranch as well. Rose has many fascinating stories to share of her life on the ranch!
Not long after selling and moving to Spokane, Rose lost the love of her life, Fred. She now lives in an apartment in a senior living facility and enjoys going out for some shopping time with one of her daughters, Donna, who lives nearby. She loves having visitors and recently had one from a Fjord horse named Dolly! The director of the facility where she lives contacted the owner of the horse and they surprised Rose with the visit for her 100th birthday. She says Dolly was such a great surprise and helped make her special day a very memorable one!
Rose and good friend, Stevie Coon, traveled together many times for CattleWoman/CowBelle conventions, meetings and events. They even cruised to Hawaii together. “In New Orleans during convention time, we waded through streams of water running down streets while dressed to the
nines!”, according to Stevie. Stevie nominated Rose for state president and then became state president herself in 1974 and 1975, following Rose. Stevie still resides on the home ranch where she grew up from the age of 16. Today at age 93, she remains on the ranch which her son and his family presently run cattle on and farm. Installed as the 24th American National CowBelle’s President in 1979 at Kansas City, Missouri, Rose’s theme for the year was “ACTION”, which she says was indicative of her view of CowBelles. The goal was to increase membership
and to publish a cookbook of the 168 winning recipes from the first five years of the National Beef Cook-Off. Rose experienced many first-time events during her rein.Some of these include the American National CowBelles Board Product and Consumer Relations Committee meeting with the Beef Industry Council (BIC) in Chicago to determine priorities toward a nationwide education program acceptable in all schools. Another first was during the National Cattlemen’s Association (NCA) board meeting in Vail, Colorado, where the first brochures for the proposed NCA office building were presented. NCA worked in collaboration with the ANCB to share and maintain space in the office building. Taken from the American National CattleWomen/CowBelles 1977-1986 publication, “In January of 1982, the American National CowBelles moved into the new National Cattlemen’s Association building in Englewood, Colorado. The CowBelles raised $125,000 for the building fund which entitled them to rent free status until December 31, 1996.” Rose states in her memoirs, “It was truly an enlightening and educational experience to crisscross the nation many times to attend the 30 state conventions, regional meetings, National Livestock & Meat Board (NLS&MB) meetings, NCA Board meetings, along with the numerous trips to the Denver office.”
Also in her memoirs, Rose states, “The conclusion of 1979 and the beginning of 1980 culminated with the annual convention held in San Diego, California, with the largest registration to that time.” Another note was membership voted that year to raise dues to $10 annually. In looking back, Rose had a memorable and productive year as ANCB President. She made many lasting friendships, visited 42 states, gained a greater respect for our nation, and was (and still is) thankful to have had the opportunity to be a part of a great organization of women who support and work in the agricultural communities of our nation. She also comments on the unity and support of the Executive Committee, Chairmen, staffs of ANCB, ANC and NLS&MB and membership in general. Rose fondly remembers how Mary Kay Woodard, 1973 NCA President from Ohio, highly supported her and asked her to think about becoming president at the national level for CowBelles. Mary Kay even called my husband Fred to ask his permission. He said to Mary Kay, “If Rose wants to do it, I’d be very happy to let her.” Washington State CattleWomen and ANCW thank you, Rose Harris, very much for your contributions to our legacy. Rose will turn age 101 on July 27th, 2024. Birthday wishes
American National CattleWomen
Attn: Ashley Hughes PO Box 700038 St. Cloud, FL 34770
