This is toxic masculinity mapped onto feminism -
12
I love this...wow, women....this is an incredible direction...Yes to this!
24
Great pix: women with muscles, with a bleeding head cut and a smile, with a fly alight on a wrist while examining prairie grass. Women on horseback, on a fence rail, on a pickup truck gunwale, on a cattle watering trough. Women with work gloves, work shirts, work tools, work dogs. Women with their mothers and daughters, with employees and students, taking care of people, business, the land and the future.
PS to Cory Carman: Next time someone says you don't look like a rancher, tell them yes you do.
53
Thanks for a beautifully-written, encouraging story.
31
Thank you for the grass fed beef, there is nothing like it nor the wagyu beef from New Zealand, and to taste beef tenderloin with a bottle of great red wine made our Christmas divine.
18
Yesterday posters responded to an article about farm subsidies, claiming most went to SNAP because Corporate America runs agriculture now. As usual, they were off base. It is refreshing to see women taking the reigns. As a typical American male, I can't count the times a level headed woman has saved my testosterone soaked bacon.
34
You could have mentioned the Border Collies...male or female, it's a lot more difficult without them.
31
@Jillian Amen and throw in a few heelers for good measure. Sheep will move for the collies, cows move for the heelers.
25
It’s very disappointing that the article states that raising animals specifically for the purpose of being slaughtered can be considered humane. Humane is defined as “having compassion towards others.” There is nothing ‘humane’ about the brutal slaughter of a perfectly healthy, young animal. It’s also highly debatable if any process for raising cattle for human consumption can be considered to be ‘sustainable’)
The American Veterinarian Medical Association states that branding causes pain for animals. Male calves intended for consumption are often castrated with anesthesia in the US (which would be illegal for our companion animals). Did the author investigate if these ranchers castrate their animals without anesthesia or the type of slaughterhouses where these animals where be sent? Even at small slaughter facilities that comply with the strictest humane labeling requirements, animals endure incidents in which the animal is not rendered unconscious by the first bolt but remains awake as a second or third bolt is shot into her skull.
I find it sad, not inspiring, that these women choose to perpetuate an industry that almost always results in suffering and needless slaughter. No one needs to eat any animal products for either their health or nutrition. In fact, consumption of animal products is a leading contributor of many chronic diseases in the USA. For real inspiration, check out rowdygirlsanctuary.org.
28
Shoot. I guess I was born 40 years too early. I would have loved to join this bunch of hard working women ranching the West.
25
Google the Marie Scott Ranch in Ridgway, CO for some insight of women ranchers last century.
5
It would be appropriate and correct to mention that these European and White American ranchers who moved out west, frequently took along enslaved Africans to do the work. #BlackLivesMatter
14
Thank you for sharing our stories. I imagine I speak for all of us in saying we are so fortunate to have a chance to embrace this lifestyle and share it with the generations to come. I wouldn't be where I am today without the sacrifices and hard work of those that come before me, and I consider myself the luckiest person in the world to get to share this lifestyle alongside my family. I appreciate all of the confidence that you've placed in us to care for the land in a way that reclaims it's health, as I truly believe that is how we start to heal our communities.
Thank you, times a thousand.
Kelsey Ducheneaux, DX Beef
www.mydxbeef.com
49
If you want the job done right give it to the ladies..ride tall.
25
What a wonderful story and images. Life on a ranch or a farm is a rare time and opportunity to have in one's life. I grew up on a farm in the Midwest -black Angus and Hereford cattle, pigs, geese, boarded horse for city people, German shepherds as the guard dogs, herds of barn cats, and the "imperial" Siamese house cats with the 4H baby beef club providing the county fair blue ribbons and the livestock sales proceeds that went into corporate stocks for college tuition. It was a business and a life and somewhat really "tax-loss" farming with the family lawyer and my dad at the dining room table on April 14 and piles of papers to sort through. Dad had a day job as a Teamster truck driver so he was home every day at 3 or 4 pm. I wish all the women and their daughters the best in their ranching endeavors!
14
I just returned returned from a southwest TX camping trip where I learned about the rancher Hallie Stillwell. Even the NYT noted her death in 1997.
Women are not afraid of hard physical work.
I receive so much physical and mental satisfaction working my small quarter acre lot in downtown Durham. Such work connects my body and spirit to the earth and community.
Yee haw to all!
15
Inspiring! Nothing like working outside and we've always had cattle dogs ... loyal, smart, a woman's best friend! I hope more women will see that we don't have to prescribe to society's expectations to be successful and feel good about ourselves. I'll trade makeup and heels for jeans and boots any day. Hats off to these women! I hope this article inspires a new generation of female ranchers and business owners ... not only women who grew up ranching but some converts from the cities.
12
This article inspires me to rethink accepting the way our family farm is run in Alabama. I have the minority percentage of ownership thus minority voice.... furthermore; my ideas tend to be tree-hugging conservationist in nature. Again, very inspiring.
23
What a great story! Thank you, this made my day - animals, land, capable and strong women, and the obvious satisfaction in a life well led. Nice antidote to the front page!
27
Such terrific reporting and writing. And the photographs need to be in a gallery show.
32
Fascinating article that touches on some really large themes - native vs settler (white) conceptions of gender roles, different generational values placed on ranch life, perceptions of femininity in the midst of male stereotypes - each of which begged to be developed even more. I’m surprised this wasn’t done as a longer feature for the Sunday magazine because it feels so rich in potential.
27
I see local women ranchers and farmers finding ways to give back to the community and local men ranchers and farmers fighting over water. To say it's a different approach doesn't convey the scope of the differences. I am so glad to see this article because it may inspire some more women to get into agriculture as a career.
45
Interesting to see the "ladies" concerned with responsible Livestock husbandry; as the fencing barrier responsibility is physically demanding and for ever problematic to maintain. As the Ranching of Livestock is noted in the Western states; the readers just might be also interested in a growing contentious issue in our Western states, as Wolf Depredation on Domestic Livestock escalates. This issue is discussed, with a suggested resolve, at WWW.FENCEFLAGWOLFTRAINING.COM an informative research Blog. DJK
2
Any time articles are written about empowering women the world becomes a better place in my opinion.
It has always violated my sense of justice to read how women have been discriminated against by the male-dominated culture in which we grow up. It always seemed wrong to me to deny a person from pursuing her dream on the basis of her gender.
Women have more than proven themselves time and time again in any endeavor that has been considered "male only." Police officers, fire fighters, fighter pilots, astronauts, physicians, lawyers; in business and in the arts.
So reading this article was very gratifying for me. If I had a daughter (I have sons), I would have raised her to believe that there was no limit on her dreams, and that she should pursue them with all the fervor she possessed.
This fine article is a reaffirmation of that philosophy.
48
While this isn't as new a phenomenon as the article might portray, it is heartening to see young women picking up the traces of the small, local agricultural businesses. We have some women ranchers in our family and there are quite a few women owner/operators in my community--mostly younger ones. While we bemoan the takeover by large agribusinesses, the only thing that keeps that trend at bay is the willingness of young people to work the land. It is not a particularly glamoorous life but it can be eminently satisfying. It takes determintion and intelligence to make any farming or ranching operation work. In the final offing the only difference between the men and women working the land successfully is the stitching on their jeans.
23
BRAVO!!! Moving animal husbandry into a more ecologically sound undertaking is applaudable. As an Urban Forester and an environmentalist, I used to be opposed to such endeavors but, as time has passed and sprawling urbanization has paved over much of what used to be green, I have adopted a much wider view in terms of what's acceptable. Environmentally sound animal husbandry keeps land open and green. An awareness of the soil, forage plants, multi-use habitat, animal waste controls and all other components of sustainable management can and should be an aspect of a larger land stewardship. I applaud these Female Ranchers efforts on behalf of refocused traditions and an environmentally-oriented management strategy.
33
This will probably stir up this hornet's nest even more but.....
One of my favorite authors Tom Robbins wrote his first novels called
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues.
There was even a movie starring Sissy Spacek that bombed at the box office not because of her but was one of books that did not translate to film well.
6
@Blew beard That wasn't exactly an empowering book for women.
4
i’m actually really good with women taking more prominence in our culture... long overdue and i believe they have much to offer.
i’m not sure how it is going to turn out long term, but i can’t help but think that their increased influence in our culture could do anything but make it a more pleasant place for more people.
18
This article makes me so HAPPY. Love the images, the idea of it all. Fantastic. These women are utterly inspiring.
38
The photo of Caitlyn Taussig, smiling with blood running down her face and a nasty gash in her forehead, should be nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.
43
@Jim Fitzpatrick please see these photos: About
Unparalleled Suffering - Home | Facebook the meat and dairy industries along with marketing and advertising + humane-washing.
6
Love it!
7
Fantastic article and photographs. Please do more.
13
Anyone raising cattle or animals for meat is despicable.
14
Humans are omnivorous. A strict vegetarian diet is unnatural and unhealthy. Deal with the fact that other people may not share your ideas, that doesn’t make them evil.
I’m glad that many of the women ranchers mentioned seem to be interested in improving animal welfare.
45
The trajectory for a all and only vegetarian future is quite long, if ever. It will certainly extend well beyond my lifetime. In the meantime, upholding the contract between us and the animals we will eat — a good life on good pasture enjoying movement and camaraderie with their herd mates, feeling the rain and the sun and, well, living, as opposed to miserable existence in a feedlot never having moved more than a couple hundred feet of their own will is celebratory to me.
35
You'd be surprised at the inhumanity that a purely vegetarian diet costs, esp. insistence on organics and non-GMO. Don't judge, eat what you want and leave others to their choices.
22
Why is she standing on that failing brace stretching wire? Good way to get killed. Its awful for me to see women who don't know what they are doing in an article like this.
10
@Jane I wondered the same thing. Strong corner posts are essential.
3
Well, contact the reporter with suggestions on what they should do. Women are best when we act communally and not out of jealousy or patriarchal judgments about "don't know what they're doing." Maybe they do, but they fall down in that one area. Maybe you fall down in some areas, too.
9
@Jane
I'm right there with you. She's going to wind up with more than a forehead gash if she does that too many more times. Tricky corner post to be sure.
1
Imagine if women ruled the world...
6
See McLeod’s Daughters. Amazingly powerful to see an all female cast centered on a female owned farm.
3
@Michelle Francis Haven't seen that show in years. I need to revisit it.
I cain't quit ya, Bertha.
2
I absolutely LOVE this. As I read I kept thinking about all those cowboy movies, the old and new ones, where the only women were wives, schoolmarms, or prostitutes, and the musical “Oklahoma,” with “Aunt Eller”- maybe an ancestor of the Eller family?!
This is truly wonderful in every way. Oh What A Beautiful Morning could easily be sung by Cowgirl Laurey.
6
This is a wonderful article and makes me want to recommend a book that just came out from University of Oklahoma Press: My Ranch, Too, by Mary Flitner.
8
I love seeing these women ranching. Just a gentle reminder though, as a descendant of farmers still working their land, that this is why it is so terribly, terribly important that people support their fellow Americans who ranch and farm small holdings so corporations do not push them out by deliberately bankrupting them with large scale “organic” and “all natural” low cost food where animals are not treated with respect. Lax consumer safety rules courtesy of our corrupt Congress.
29
Beautiful story romanticising animal abuse, like cattle's pain in being branded, and I can also loudly hear the silence about the horrific moment when those sweet animals are brutally murdered. I wish these brave women were sensitive and courageous about animal rights too.
"'We just sort of treat each other differently,' Ms. Taussig said shortly after a cow kicked a gate that split open her forehead."
17
@Fabiana almost every nytimes article involving animals ignores the horrible conditions they are subjected to, in the name of keeping a piece light hearted and broadly acceptable
5
Interesting women. Beautiful photos.
When banks in Third World Countries loan money to women to start businesses, they find women are more responsible small business owners than men. Not only that, they find it boosts the overall economy of small towns, even the educational level of families.
I see more women doing construction today.
Working outdoors, being in nature, being your own boss, it’s a healthy and satisfying lifestyle.
I wish them all the best of luck!
15
When I started ranching 25 years ago I knew very little about it but did have a background in public health and biology. A neighbor who had leased the property I bought became my mentor. He helped me learn about cattle, grass, hay, soil, fencing, and a myriad of other related topics. He watched as I adapted his ways to my beliefs and needs and he appreciated and even adopted some of my improved methods. Delayed and low-stress weaning of calves, later access to a bull by heifers, calmer and quieter working methods, safer fencing materials, etc. all resulted in better products and ranch work I could do by myself most of the time. There is much good to be learned from the past and always room for improvement. I appreciated this article.
49
@Linda
I love what you’ve written here!
Compassion in Animal Husbandry. You could write a book!
12
What a wonderful story ! My mother’s family emigrated from Ukraine and joined a similar population of German farmers in rural eastern Washington state who grew winter wheat. Summer vacations there left me with memories of golden fields of wheat spread out over the rolling hills of the Palouse, falling asleep to the sound of a distant train whistle, and waking to a glorious sunrise. Family farms provide work for even their youngest children and I was no exception. Collecting eggs seemed like a great game but a bit scary at first to disturb hens in their nesting boxes. The payoff was being allowed to throw any rotten eggs that errant hens had laid in the cattle barn or under the combine. On some farms cousins raised pigs or small cattle herds, but everyone had a dairy cow and a huge vegetable garden (that always needed weeding). Everyone got to participate in every activity, if only to watch and learn what all farmers do: figure it out, use what you have, make things work.
17
The photos are sensational! When I think about our many women in northern Spain who have managed Lilliput-size family farms, with 20 or 30 cows at the most, while the men, aftr plowing the fields, went over the mountains to work all summer in the brick factories of Castille, and they are just now starting to get recognition, I wonder what's going to become of them and their way of life. Hypothetically selfemployed, the burocracy imposed by the European Union, added to the high cost of farm machinery and power supply - dairy cows have to be milked twice a day - the inexistent control over cheap milk imports that drive prices down, and the ever rising costs and requirements (vets, vaccines, transport to slaughter house, keeping copies of every order and every invoice, in case they sell you mad-cow feed.... and so on) makes it impossible to survive. It seems that the harder they work, the less profit there is at the end. So, I loved to see these healthy, strong women who are carrying on and who know so much!
18
I was so excited when this article was shared with me this morning. How relatable, and empowering! In May, family circumstances brought me back to rural Oklahoma. Now, at age 25, I run my family's cattle ranch. For all the times I haven't been taken seriously as a young woman who is also a rancher -- this was such a gratifying read! GIRL POWER :)
Thanks, NY Times for this wonderful article.
66
Admirable life mission and I am sure it is not an easy lifestyle. Thank you for sharing this story. We need more inspiring stories like this.
13
Wonderful!
Could you make a series and check in with them from time to time?
56
This type of story is why I subscribe to NY Times. I can "feel" the air in the photos, the strength of mind of the women and smell the manure, grass & hay. Really lovely story and photo.
75
Wouldn't it be wonderful if female ranchers were less likely than their male counterparts to shoot, trap, or poison every predator bigger than a skunk?
33
@Jeremy Bounce Rumblethud, while the article does mention that some of the women featured intend to take a more humane approach toward their cattle, it is absurd to assume that this would be universally true for all women ranchers, based on gender alone. As for ranchers’ tendency to see all “predator” animals as pests to be eradicated, that is the prevalent view of ranchers in the West. Regardless of gender. Hunting is huge in these regions, too. I know some pretty bloodthirsty female hunters.
9
@Jeremy Bounce Rumblethud, as a woman who owns and runs my own farm, you have to control predators and pests. I choose to trap raccoons, skunks, and possums that otherwise break into chicken coops and kill the birds. I relocate them, despite the game commission's instructions to euthanize them. Fortunately coyotes are not a problem on my property, and the ravages of a fox were short lived--he was smart enough to recognize a gun and flee the area. My cats take care of the mice and other rodent pests. Farming is not inherently a low-impact activity, but good property management can leave room for a variety of species that don't harm livestock and poultry.
22
@Jeremy Bounce Rumblethud where are you getting your information about ranchers? While some ranchers are more trigger-happy than others, many have a strong appreciation for predators and know enough about ecology to understand that predators, like grazing ruminants, have a role to fill. There are many organizations that partner with ranchers to to help them minimize conflict and support the needs of all parties, and a lot of this effort is led by ranchers themselves. You really can’t describe such a large profession in such simplified terms without revealing your own ignorance.
14
This is what the land needs: a woman's touch. Also, that woman needs to clean that bad wound on her forehead!
7
While I'm glad this is a news story and that you covered it, I question your positioning a large photo of one of the ranchers with blood streaming down her face, wearing a smile. We learn in the story that she was kicked by a cow, got six stitches, and barely missed an afternoon of work. That's nice. But somehow, I doubt you'd have run a large photo of a man to whom the same thing had happened. Just sayin'.
4
@GKC I loved that photo. & I think you missed the point of its inclusion. Showing her injured and bleeding and yet smiling and happy seemed to embody the whole point of the piece - strong women who have empowered themselves working in a traditional male profession on their own terms, working with other women to make change for the better, and bringing a sense of sisterhood and even joy to the work. What is a measly six stitches on your forehead next to that - certainly nothing to cry about! Bravo ladies & thanks NYT for this inspiring piece.
55
@GKC. Because that is exactly real life. When you are working cows anything can happen and does.
12
Keep stories like this coming. It sounds as though it's one place where women can do their thing without men denigrating them all day and night. GO LADIES❤
26
@D. Hill Just like the book says: "Are Women the Stronger Sex?" Absolutely. It's great to see women being acknowledged for their hard work (especially when men leave such work for "less gritty" work - hilarious! Are men afraid they're going to chip a nail? :-)) )
8
I absolutely love this story. Please print more of the same. I hope ms. Lucifer got some stitches for that gash.
9
My though is that all references to "men" should be removed from this article. The writer seems not to get what a man is or how he thinks. While a few references to gender cliché are true, most are ludicrous. I hooted at the reference to women "roaming the frontier"-- it's the bison that roam, not the people. John Wayne and Gary Cooper portrayed urban sheriffs, not cow-milkers. The idea that rural men are ego-driven robots who can't see the beauty of the land is beyond idiotic. This article is spoiled goods.
6
@Carling. Its exactly like that.
Been ranching all my life. How about you?
15
"Sustainable beef"!
5
So there is hope for the world, after all...
13
Dazzling, thank you.
3
Where do I sign up?!
5
Women have always been the stronger sex. My husband gets all dramatic if he gets a tiny splinter (and asks me to remove it for him, while he looks away).
That photo of a gaping, bleeding head wound makes me hurt. I understand why the editor ran it, but...ouch!
3
Addendum: Now that I’ve had more time to think about it, I question the decision to run that photo. It’s oddly sexist in this context. If the article had been about ranchers’ sons taking over the family business — in other words, about men — would a photo of a smiling young man with an open and bleeding head wound have made the final edit? I don’t think so. But a beautiful, young, blonde woman with perfect skin and a dazzling smile, bleeding profusely from her forehead while smiling? Photo gold. The message is disturbing. And offensive.
3
@Passion for Peaches It is 2019. Being offended is the whole point of life.
5
Nice story, but the tone of the writing implies that male ranchers and farmers have to be some kind of angry, knuckle dragging monster, which I doubt is the case. You can tell the great story about more women being the primary stewards of the farm or ranch without disparaging those before them and that seems to be dripping from the author’s writing.
Women running a farm is nothing new. In my family, my Grandma ran the farm- full of young boys and girls - while my Grandpa worked as a schoolteacher in the South before World War II. He taught math and she ran the farm and the household. She was an amazing woman as I remember.
30
Great article and photos. I hope this is the start of an eventual sea change in how agricultural animals are raised. They are sentient beings and should be treated with respect and care throughout their often short lives.
27
This is just beautiful.
14
Sign me up!
11
A great story overall, but there is no such thing as "sustainable cattle" and I wish the NYT would not celebrate needless environmental harms. There are plenty of people making a living in agriculture without accelerating climate change (much).
16
@Alan. The terms are weird buzz words, but sustainable cattle refers to grazing systems and range management.
6
@Alan I recommend you read "The Vegetarian Myth" by Lierre Keith, and perhaps do some research into the actual facts about the ecological benefits of sustainable grazing.
5
Others have already expressed everything I'd have said in response to this uplifting article and its stunning photographs.
I just want to point out that photo of the dog (a border collie?) also captures its essential dogginess and spirit in a way that reveals an inspired level of artistry. An award-winner right there, too.
43
I am not a rancher but as a young Southern girl and feminist growing up in the 60s and 70s, I reveled in learning physical tasks. I was proud to know how to change a tire at 16. I was proud to last a month on a carpentry framing construction job. I know, It was only a month, but I wasn’t fired. I left to go to second session summer school. Too hot up on a roof in August!
I am now a senior business executive, but the confidence of tackling & succeeding at physical work stays with me.
And I understand and applaud the challenges these farmers and ranchers face - not just physical work but savvy management and trying ideas old and new.
PLEASE consider writing about industries and work with a more enlightened approach to gender. As this piece shows, gender roles in the workplace have often been unnecessarily artificial, fake, and forced, even if culturally dictated. Thanks for such a refreshing and empowering story!
40
News flash: Running a cattle ranch requires tough, resilient PEOPLE, be they male or female. Most of the Hollywood Cowboy film "damsels" were Hollywood fiction used to make a story.
11
Ranchers and farmers rock!
Salt of the earth
Man or woman
16
As a product of a farming and ranching family, I am grateful for the NYT investment in reporting on the farming and ranching community. Yet, while the photographs of this article are beautiful, I fear this recent reporting effort strays beyond reporting and may flirt with the realm of urban art project.
For example, generally, ranchers do not stand on failing cross-braces while tensioning wire. Among the reasons why we do not is the fact that when the wire breaks under tension, you may eat both the wire and some medical expense. Therefore, we park a rig along the fence for cover if the wire breaks and recoils. This practice would also entail keeping dogs and photographers out of the line of wire tension. But even before tensioning, a rancher would likely repair the failing corner brace so the fence does not require re-tensioning with each freeze/thaw cycle. It is beautiful photo, but likely staged to a point of eroding the legitimacy of the subject.
Finally, the proposition that the gender and associated ideas are "new" is silly and condescending. Anyone familiar with ranching communities on the high plains and intermountain west knows that women have been holding their own, caring for the land, and running operations for generations. The Lakota evidence the misleading headline.
American ranch women have been "leaning-in" long before someone in Silicon Valley introduced the idea as something new and progressive – and long before the NYT discovered the subject.
-Michael
41
@Michael Schultz I learned a lot from (and enjoyed) the article. And learned a lot from your comments. A win-win for sure.
7
@Michael Schultz. AMEN. Ranching here in northern New Mexico.
5
I am intrigued as to how you found the people you have written about. That these women and their daughters have picked up where men have moved to softer jobs tells us much about who the stronger and more caring sex is. I hope that they all succeed.
9
Thank you. From me and my women rancher friends here in Kansas.
23
They know what I know. There’s no better life.
15
In another life I would’ve been a rancher. I love the outdoors, cattle and physical work. I think women will transform ranching and cattle raising, go get ‘em!
14
I'm curious, where did the author get the idea that men are leaving the ranches to pursue "less gritty work"? Is this based on statistics or a few scattered anecdotes? There is the case about 3/4th down about a woman whose brother "had less interest" in ranching, but is there any more? Is there a trend of men in America pursuing "less gritty work" or did the NY times make that up and run with that idea?
11
"sustainable beef" = "clean coal"
25
I loved this article and the photos. Let's please have more journalism like this. This type of article is why I enjoy and recommend the NY Times.
7
Well shoo-oot, Caitlyn Taussig, go get that stiched up. It will heal faster that way.
6
I read a similar article in the Montana Quarterly.
7
Disturbing to see the pseudo-narrative of white people "reclaiming the American West" — i.e., Native American ancestral lands — is to be perpetuated in the 21st century, albeit just with a different gender of white people doing it.
Notice how Chozick's article heavily emphasizes the Native American woman of the Lakota Nation, as if merely highlighting her counterbalances the many white women profiled in her article, some of whom have Stanford degrees.
I understand Chozick is trying to put a feminist spin on this topic, but — while her article lionizes white women ranchers with Stanford degrees — suicide rates for young women of color on Native American reservations are at all-time highs.
Let's not replace the faux Western mythology of a white John Wayne with a white Jane Wayne, please. That isn't progress.
18
@Sándor, the article is about female ranching, nothing else. I see you mentioned Stanford, did you miss the mention of South Dakota State? It sounds like you’re looking for an article on another topic. I encourage you to consider writing it and submitting it to the Times!
11
People who import race into everything are always suspect. Why are you so interested in what colour these people are? As far as they were concerned, they were born on that land, just as Native Americans are/were. They're not responsible for the behaviour of their ancestors; they had no choice in the matter.
11
@Sándor, I believe one — just one — woman in the article is a Stanford grad. So what? That is mentioned, I assume, because it implies that she gave up other, perhaps more lucrative, job opportunities for ranching. It’s nothing more than a reportable fact about that person. She is on no way “lionize(d)” for the university affiliation. Neither does the reporter “heavily emphasize(s) the Native American woman of the Lakota Nation.” That woman is simply one of a group of women covered in the piece. Sure, they were chosen to represent a range of female ranchers, but no one here is a token, as you imply. That is insulting to Kelsey Ducheneaux.
6
I can't say enough about how refreshing of a story this is. Please, take it over completely! Thanks, NYT, for some uplifting news in this time of turmoil.
There is no reason we can't raise our protein more sustainably. It just takes a little more thinking than just cutting a bunch of cows loose and waiting until they eat everything down to a muddy nub.
I used to work in the west on sustainable farm and ranch practices, and the reasons given for why it doesn't work were just a bunch of lazy nonsense. How an otherwise-intelligent person could look into a muddy, dead stream pounded to mush by a bunch of cattle and call it good just defied all reason.
And for the record, I pay the premium week in and out for organic, naturally fed, and humane animal products - preferably all three elements put together. Fact is, that's what my dogs get as well, cooked by yours truly. I'm not rich by any means, just checked out of the old, mean-spirited and stupid system. I'll go hungry before I go back to it.
19
Great story, and wow, that final pic.
9
Refreshing!
3
love the female empowerment, but wish they were vegetarian solar panel installers instead.
11
Darn it. I was born 20 years too early and in the wrong part of the country!
5
thanks for making this way of life seem more appealing and even possible. Its always felt like uber macho territory.
4
My best friend, taught me about the love of the prairie.
She grew up in North Dakota. NoDak for the locals, she
has given me the love of the land.
5
Love this article!
20 years ago I decided to leave Southern California at age 42, moving to Central Oregon to begin building a small ranch and horse boarding business.
The peace and tranquility that come with owning land and tending to horses daily is rewarding.
There are many inspiring books on the history of single women homesteading, "Staking Her Claim: Women Homesteading the West"
23
I was fortunate to live and be liberated by a piece of this life. A superbly trained and willing cattle pony taught me the singular joy
of herding cattle; seeing how rotational grazing makes the cows and calves kick up their heels in excitement and learning how the thoughtful planning brings “dividends “ of new plant and wildlife species... flora and fauna with each passing year. Beef is not sustainable but if you have to have it, this is a much better way.
25
@Kathleen Davies - I love this comment! Perfect.
3
Farming is a tough business but most of the time it's about tenacity and problem solving, not brute strength. "Expect Problems" and "Check your pride at the door" are a few things I was told and that's good advice. I think women can do well in this business because a lot of it is having a positive outlook. Hence the smiles with the large gash on the forehead! Great article!
11
It’s a beautiful thing to work every day outside.
14
I am just here to say that I loved this article. I’d like to see more like it. It really resonated with me.
30
Thank you for a great article. Not only is ranching a choice where women have long been the glue of the operation, it’s also an exhilarating feeling to be self reliant. No one will save you out here in the west like happens in the city. Great lessons to be learned and savored. Once I had to come back and take care of my rental tenant in Greenwich - a park ave type man, and when I fixed the problem he said , “how do you know how to do that? I replied, “I live on a ranch”:
28
Will they still be doing this 30 years from now ?
I suspect some will but most won't. Time will tell.
1
Are you still going to be condescending 30 years from now?
Time will tell.
I hope these women, more like them, and some men persevere in ranching.
23
@Ash
30 years from now I will have been dead for 25 years .
@Blew beard Curious as to why you ask? Am unable to discern your point
3
Grand read and a balm for these days. Does anyone know of placement programs for women/girl youth volunteers on farms managed by women? This vitally important work needs to be shared, although it is wonderful to see the generations of daughters involved. Carry on- love is coming!
35
I am more confident of these ladies making rationale decisions than testosterone filled cowboys. The matriarch model suits this vocation and honours the women folks in our societies. They can and will be more successful by virtue of their temperament, diligence and respect for motherhood and mother earth. I wish them all well.
25
@aboutface You have ever spent any time in a farm and ranch country? I'll give you the behavioral differences, but when it comes to modern ranch management, there isn't much gender difference in practice. Ranching is a business and you will find that ranchers (and farmers), are pretty savvy, university educated, business owners. Yeah, the boys swagger and play the role, but I've seen similar displays of male swagger in meeting rooms and offices.
7
Lovely article! Where I live in the midwest, women farmers are leading the way in building new, sustainable, local food economies and infrastructure. There's a ton of inspiring work going on in remote rural places all over America. The work has its challenges; some of them social. I'm in my fifties and came fairly recently to shepherding. I encountered overt sexism from a neighbor who made it obvious he didn't respect what I was doing at all. Fortunately, guys like him are aging out of the business every day.
50
@a Keep doing what you do best and don't let anyone bring you down. I have much respect for the hard work you and many others do in this line of work.
6
My husband and I were dairy goat farmers for ten years on our family's heritage farm in the midwest. We loved it every day, and relished the opportunities to do things a little differently than if the farming had been done strictly by men (and frankly, if we'd had to extract every penny of profit out of it -- we had other sources of income). We spent more time and more energy on our goats, just enjoying them for the gentle spirits they are and for the way they interact with nature. I believe the best farming is done when you can cherish the critters (and the nature) who contribute to your livelihood.
64
These are beautiful places with beautiful Americans. I'm thankful for them, and I appreciate what they do!
48
This is uplifting.
Are there stories about young men trying to approach ranching from a new way — more of the spiritual, collaborative, non-sexist ways described here? I’d love to read about that too. When one part of the gender spectrum makes a change, others are likely changing too. It would be good to read more. Thank you.
44
@Nancy Check out the video of the Transhumance Festival put on in California by a group of local ranchers and land stewards: http://sassyandgrassy.com. That community is an excellent example of men and women working together where all genders embody exhibit beautiful stewardship.
7
nice - I grew up in a farming district where the men used to stand six feet apart with arms akimbo - waiting for the first person to speak - usually about the weather - then take turns to complain about it – fearing revealing vulnerability and feeling a loss of 'manhood'.
I preferred to linger in the kitchen - where the women would be chatting busily while making a fresh batch of scones or something delicious - yes !
men tend to work alone to do stuff and rarely talk unless gruff - while women work together while continually talking about everything - I prefer women's company.
69
@Frank
Now, if we could just get one into the White House.....
10
How Heartwarming!!
Wish I was out there with them,
Thanks for a great story about the future of farming and ranching
May They all Be Successful and Happy
We are grateful for their courage and
Connection with the Earth!
41
More stories like this! Thank you for this piece.
45
When I was growing up I wanted to be Nancy Drew. Now I want to be a 'female rancher.' I loved this story. Thank you.
68
Great story. Please keep them coming, NYT. We need something positive in these crazy times. In my heart I think it's up to us citizens to make a more positive and sustainable world in whatever way we can. Let's take back our power in a million little ways.
109
A hearty thank you to Ms. Chozik and Ms. Lucier, along with the NYT for this excellent story!! I have forwarded it to all my daughters. Mary Chapin Carpenter has a song called Family Hands, dating back to 1987, which strongly echos the main premise of this story. It is one of my favorite songs.
And like others who have commented here, I love the picture of Ms. Taussig smiling so broadly with blood streaming down her face. I hope that this picture will win an award for Ms. Lucier. The tough and indomitable spirit of the women featured in this story are very inspirational. Thanks again for this terrific story, which does help me to keep faith with my fellow Americans during these just flat-out, whacko, bizzaro times we are suffering through.
Semper Fidelis ladies, and continue to press on!
86
Ranching always has been and continues to be ruinous for the environment, especially western public rangelands, which are the lifeblood of most western ranching operations.
What's sustainable about these female-led operations? I see nothing different than the ranching of their male forebears: make unsubstantiated claims designed to deflect concern about poor enviromental stewardship, but keep pumping out the same old beef.
13
@AmesNYC
Respectfully, large grazing ruminants are an essential part of a grasslands ecosystem. Like any complex system, if you remove a piece, you ruin the system. The native tall-grass prairie of my Flint Hills KS home is incomplete without the large graziers, and loses the broad spieces diversity of native plant, soil biome, insect, and wildlife communities that are also interdependent pieces of the healthy system. Large grazing animals are integral parts of many ecosystems found worldwide, not just the tall-grass prairie. Ranchers like me (both male and female) take great pride in the health and diversity of the various ecosystems found on American ranches and value the contribution that each part of the system makes to the healthy whole.
32
@AmesNYC Ranching is only ecologically ruinous because tradition-bound people insist on overgrazing, allowing their cattle to destroy streamside vegetation, and killing every predator they see. It can be done far better, but of course the beef would cost more.
4
@Barb, a full-time rancher I'm not speaking of ranching in Kansas on private land. I'm speaking of the hundreds of millions of acres of public land in arid Western states leased by the Interior Dept. to private cattle and sheep ranchers that cost the land and the US taxpayer bigly in terms of rancher subsidies. This land is overgrazed. It has been overgrazed ever since the cattle and sheep ranchers arrived. The cattle, as you are well aware, are not native to the US and are especially destructive to the arid western grass and forest lands. They are native to wetter environments (East Asia). On that count, they are the antithesis of essential to public lands. What is essential on Western public lands are predator species — but the ranchers have systematically wiped them out, and US taxpayers pay for it, unknowingly. Please familiarize yourself with how the ecosystem of Yellowstone rebounded after wolves were reintroduced, and kept the elk populations moving.
Predators and native wildlife are essential to a grasslands ecosystem. Protections for these species are essential to a grasslands ecosystem. Here's another thing that's essential to a grasslands ecosystem. Strict oversight. The ranchers need it. But they pretty much do what they please, and the land shows the results.
4
Amanda, your photographs are incredibly beautiful. One can hear the silence, feel the expanse, and almost hear the conversations. Amy, your writing makes you feel that you are having a great conversation. A great article! Kudos to you both and to the editor who supported/assigned the story.
57
Brilliant piece of good news. Of course there are also bad women ranchers--I know of one with an ivy league diploma who is notorious for letting her cattle graze the grass down to the dirt. For the most part this is a good development. Almost anything to do with land, animals, conservation, protection, beauty and responsibility flourishes under the care of women.
24
Beautiful work. Keep putting these sustainability stories front and center. You go, ladies (ranchers, writer and photographer)!!!
22
If women ran --or even shared equally in-- the world (sounds good!) what would we do with the intact males roaming the landscape without the trappings of cultural superiority and a reduced-by-1/2-the-population competitive field to comfort themselves?
We castrate cattle and other male animals to make them less obstreperous for our purposes, but that isn't an option for our males.
It's is a problem. Cooperation and empathy are not high value ideals in male culture. Can they adapt for the good of all of us? Will they?
58
Obviously if someone talked about women in this manner it would be consider sexist and demeaning. I’m interested to see if anyone else calls out this behavior when women do it. Talking about people as animals or as a singular group in a demeaning manner is inappropriate regardless of the genders involved.
7
I love MY men, but your comment makes a lot of sense.
5
@Abe
Actually, she wasn't talking about ALL males; only the ones "roaming the landscape without the trappings of cultural superiority." Sure, the attitude of her post was flippant, but her question deserves some thought.
5
What a wonderful article and a meaningful and vital example and message to girls and young women not growing up on farms that women can be just as tough, independent, and resilient as men.
Thank you, New York Times!!
46
Yes! Amanda really caught what it looks like, and I've never seen that in photos before, though have seen that beauty in my years in Wyoming. Great article!
27
That area of South Dakota is one of the most beautiful natural landscapes I've ever seen. Pictures can't do it justice. I've gone back three times. The second just to check if it was actually as incredible as I'd remembered, the third to savor it. Its worth going out of your way to see, if you're anywhere near. Stick around for the sunset, too.
30
@Scribbles
I am so happy to see Lakota women working their land. Life has not been easy or fair to them.
10
Great and inspiring story! All the photos are so wonderful but that last one is so stunning. Reminded me of Jurassic Park when Ellie Sattler made the dig "...dinosaur eats man and woman inherits the earth".
20
I grew up on a dairy farm. We also had 50 head of ewes. When one of them had trouble giving birth - which is frequent with sheep - my mom was the one who was summoned, who pulled off her wedding ring and put her arm up the ewe's rump to pull out the lamb (small hands, easier to "get in there"). I love to reflect on my Great Great grandmother who traveled from Indiana to Missouri in 1854 with 9 kids. My GG Grandfather died two weeks after they arrived. Accordingly, the new neighbors build "a double cabin" and my GG Grandmother raised the kids, bought and sold land (but never remarried, unusual for the day) and was her own woman - yes a farmer. Women have been farming and ranching for decades - they just never got much credit for it. Often it was the wife who "did the books" -keeping the finances straight while again not being considered an equal partner. As an Ag banker I knew many women who worked just as hard as their spouse, and were a true partner in the operation. It's nice to see that acknowledged.
222
Our family farm was always handed down to the oldest son. First born. English tradition. Now that you can't really make a living off of smaller acreage, it really comes down to who can afford to make a go of it on the land. My Great-Great Grandfather got the land for free from the government because of the Homestead Act of 1862 (not really free, you had to survive on it for a year and they did). My brother got the land because he could afford to pay the market rate for it. And can sustain it with day jobs that both he and his wife maintain. Farmers are the biggest welfare recipients in our country (and yes, I always remind him of that, too, but he is legally playing the game).
27
@Sally Mathewson A year? 5 and sufficiently improve it.
7
I grew up on a farm in the South. Women did much of the work either on the farm or in the garden and they got jobs in town in textile plants or other places to support the family. Many of them worked a full time job and managed the household.
Many of these women are so smart and capable; It is good to see that they are getting recognition.
98
Wonderful article. Here's to all the women in this story and all the women, unsung, who are ranching in a way that makes them stewards of the land. The close on this story unexpectedly brought tears to my eyes. My only question, I'd like to know how to buy the beef from these women. I'm very interested in buying sustainably- and humanely-raised animals.
132
@ny My question as well. Where can we buy their products and support these women? Wonderful article.
34
@ny
Here in Atlanta there are many small farms doing humanely raised meat - several of them women-owned. Farmer's markets are the place to find them.
20
@Jane We may have a hard time tracking down these individuals' products, but virtually every decent grocery store these days has organic, naturally fed, and humane protein (beef, pork, eggs, chicken, turkey - the whole range). It might be stuck in a small section, but it's there.
13
Very well done, Ms. Chozick. Ms. Lucier is to be congratulated for such great photographs. Thank you.
Don Brown
45
Wonderful article, inspirational, life affirming and so welcome when most of the news is so sad. Keep up the good work Amy.
48
To add to Richard's comment; Keep up the good work ladies!
2
I very much appreciated and enjoyed this article. You could call it a breath of fresh air in the midst of these miserable and polluted times of political strife. Extremely well done. Thank you. AAA+++!!!!!
199
Great article Should have shown women competing with their horse in barrel racing at rodeos Fantastic
13
Awesome!
11
Great article! This is a career option that never would have occurred to me as a 23-year old. Now, looking back, it looks like it would have been a great choice.
48
I loved the story and the photos .
It remind me of Utah where I grow up.
Thank you
18
It would be even better if the women had enough compassion not to continue using sentient non-native animals as unpaid slaves destined for slaughter.
Animals aren't plants. This isn't agriculture.
Plus, running cattle on western lands destroys intact ecosystems and native plants and animals.
Using animals the way ranchers do is all about domination, cold-heartedness and cruelty.
That same dominator mentality is why some men treat women like cattle.
One would hope that women would have the heart-consciousness to eschew cattle ranching altogether.
26
@Steve Davies
"Plus, running cattle on western lands destroys intact ecosystems and native plants and animals."
That's an inaccurate blanket statement. How cattle interact with ecosystems depends largely on how cattle are managed. Livestock are not a binary, blanket tool with singular effect. Whether livestock are a detriment, benign, or a benefit depends on myriad factors, including density of animals per area, how long they're there, and soon they return.
These and dozens of other factors are not taken into account by every manager, but a growing number (especially of younger generation ranchers) plan their grazing to not only produce meat off of land but support the health of the grasslands as a whole. Again, this is a function of management decisions--with measurable, specific results.
You make strong claims both about the ecology of Western rangelands and the actions of the people who make their living in relationship to them. I find it hard to imagine that you have recently spent more than a few days with producers in these landscapes. Not all ranches or ranchers are created equal - they are really diverse.
I trust that you care as passionately about this issue, so consider reading this publication that explores the many management factors inherent to ranching and how livestock influence vital things like plant and soil health and diversity, root depth, water retention, wildlife food and habitat, etc.: https://quiviracoalition.org/new-ranch-handbook/
21
@Steve Davies Animals are in fact sentient animals as they all are. Laugh if you want folks, but I have been able to talk to and calm down insects, spiders, lizards... who were frightened by my sudden appearance. There is no animal in the world that doesn't understand the eyes, and the intent behind them.
And humans are omnivores. That's just how nature is wired.
1
I couldn’t agree more!
I feel blessed to be able to buy and serve my family and friends Carman ranch beef – so many special occasions include their meat. Memorable, and I feel great supporting their business and sustainable ranching practices. #womenrising
64
Thank you for featuring - what a great article.
17
Great story and photos.
19
Living the dream. I’m jealous beyond words.
28
Public lands livestock operators in the West could not exist without welfare. Whether herded by men or women, our public forests and open lands badly need private cows and sheep to go away. To make it fair, support the Rural Economic Vitalization Act.
15
@Mark Bailey, I agree completely with your position on public lands. But I think this article is about private ranches. At least I hope so.
3
From the article... “Our current generation of land managers is aging out of that role,” she said. “You could look at that as a disaster, or you could really look at that as an opportunity to change the paradigm.”
We cannot afford to lament the passing of the 20th century. These women and their energy represent the best hope we have of reforming an unsustainable, unhealthy food system. Reading the article actually brought tears of hope to my eyes... (or maybe that was partly looking at that baddass woman smiling through the gash on her forehead, a metaphor for the obstacles they are overcoming)
121
Hope they vote more rationally than their male counterparts on the ranch and farm.
163
@DD we do.
8
Nothing new under the sun! My grandmother run the farm for decades after the death of my grandfather. And she raised three daughters alone!
You make it sound like American women have never been strong and independent. Stop it. Please!
41
@Luisa C.
That is not what I got from this piece at all. Rather, a much needed article to show that women ARE strong and independent and that despite the patriarchal mythology of the rugged west won by men alone, here we are, finally getting some credit.
38
Ladies, it’s a waste of time repairing that corner when the corner
post and braces are shot.
17
@Shiva If you weren't there to witness the decisionmaking constraints at the time, you probably aren't in a position to comment, and it's very strange to me that you're only offering is a critical one.
Every rancher, myself included, has repaired weak spots in fence just-so to be able to hold cattle for a few hours prior to shipping (for example). Every ranch has a mile-long list of needed repairs; prioritizing appropriately is what makes a good operator.
35
Reply to Shiva in AZ. I totally agree of the futile nature of repairing the fence corner as is. Looks to me like they may be deconstructing it to remake it appropriately. Ya think buddy.
2
@Shiva ... it's probably a posed photo for the article. I'm sure these ladies do know what they're doing.
2
I think we all needed a story like this today. Wonderful story and photography especially the one of Ms Taussig after her injury oh my goodness !! With the blood pouring down and her beautiful smile that's going to win awards.
Women are finally getting the long over due success and influence they deserve. The country and the world will be better for it.
45
I hope most people (men and women) in ranching jobs are less bigoted than the people associated with this article. Like the one at the end who would have you believe that men out there are only good for fixing broken equipment (and that women may not be), and that it somehow ruins the possibility of communing with nature if men are included. The whole article is riven with hate for men as a group, and the presumption that none know what they're doing or might welcome new blood wanting to take on the old jobs and add their own contributions on how to do it well. Fortunately I suspect the spirits of most men and women alike out West are bigger and more generous.
17
I did not get the same impression about women vs men in this article. Why does every article have to be about the accomplishments of men for men like you to feel good. It is time to celebrate the contributions of women and that is what this article does! Women are this country’s future!
48
@Blorphus
I’m a 69-yr old man who read the article and detected no “hate for men as a group” — just women celebrating the ranching life.
16
Hate is where you find it? But there is ZERO in this article. Only a celebration of independent hardworking women who have stayed on the land to keep it productive.
13
This is the most inspirational story I have read in many years. Thank you.
22
Bout time! Great article - we need more affirmations like this.
23
As a former officer in the FFA and someone that grew up around horses, it warmed my heart to go to NE Oregon and see women not only running cutting edge ranches but also running many of the businesses in town and they did it without ego or agenda. These women are changing things for the better and I couldn't be prouder to see them make a difference in the lives of everyone around them and inspire young women to pursue careers in agriculture.
126
Beautiful and inspiring ladies.
26
What an excellent article. Thank you. May they all be successful.
38
Thank you for this refreshing story about Women and the American West. Stunning photos. If this is our future, where smart capable independent women taken on the challenging work traditionally done by men (who are opting out), then I say, bring it on!
59
Nicely written and wonderful photography. I think that split forehead shot is gonna be famous!
158
There seems to be something going on in America. There seems to be an explosion of female success and influence. More and more women are doing things and making contributions, real contributions to our society. Men are generally not contributors but competitors. That works for the men, and egomaniacs like D. Trump, but not for society. I liked the part about "If the tractor breaks down...Oh, isn't this beautiful..." Women appreciate things. Men? Not so much.
100
@Ralph, I mean no offense with my comments, but women have always done the work, sir. We're just getting the press for it now! My grandmother and her two sisters ran a ranch in Southern California during WWII when the men were away. They took care of the livestock, tended crops, cooked, canned, cleaned, and still made it to PTA meetings. They took produce to market, beef to the slaughterhouse, and fixed the equipment. Aunt Tillie mended fences while Aunt Toni tended the chickens for sale and for family consumption. My grandmother took care of the bills, the books, the babies, and the whole family contributed to the well-being of themselves and the community. It only make sense to finally encourage women to run the government...we're good at making things work smoothly.
279
@Ralph men aren't contributors? What an ignorant, blanket statement. In my community, men and women are doctors, social workers, counselors, hospice workers, construction laborers, farmers, welders, mechanics, etc.
How in the world can you say men are not contributors to society and don't appreciate things? What a strange world we're living in. I do agree with you on Trump, but don't use him as an example. He's an odd outlier.
31
I'm not really sure why women need men when the tractor breaks down, unless the necessary ingredient is upper body strength. Anybody can learn how a tractor works, if they want.
29
Thanks for the writing that captures the feel of being connected to something real & enduring. More of us need to soak in that connectedness in order for life on earth to have a chance to sustain itself.
When farming/ranching isn't 'industrialized,' it requires hard work. major risk-taking, and sometimes a strong back & cold extremities, but it's so worth it.
67
Great article! Family farming and ranching do help sustain the west, and the East too for that matter, especially because they are "holding ground" and water too. Because they are Earth connected in their environments they help sustain it. This isn't a corny concept. It is big AG that is far more potentially harmful.
It is big AG that wants to wreck the greater Amazon Basin in Brazil. Pesticides and herbicides should not be in any equation.
There are important issues. I am a cow loving environmentalist and have been for a long time; as long as they support the Endangered Species Act, the Wild Horse and Burro Act, and get the support they need to do sustainable farming it's a big plus for the environment and wildlife.
Consider what come in when family farms and ranches fail in a community. Not Good! How do I know? I've lived and watched ranching and farming in the West and East all my life.
I hope these gals' brothers and menfolk see the light and help them out.
46
I am absolutely delighted the folks in the story are living their lives as they wish and contributing in such unique and important ways.
However, the subtext of the story - men/pfui - seems to be a recurrent theme in the NYT of late, and in a wide variety of contexts.
Might be a popular ides right now, but its rather short-sighted, to say the least.
19
@manta666 Why does it have to be "men/pfui"? Why can't it just be "someone else getting to do what only the men got to do before"? Did you read the part about the men who are "not interested"? Women getting a chance isn't a zero-sum game. It does seem, however, as if the article connects sustainable ranching only with women. I assume that not all ranchers are troglodytes like the Bundys (nor are all female ranchers liberals and/or ecologically woke).
36
@manta666
What subtext?
Stated clearly: "As men leave animal agriculture for less gritty work, more ranches are being led by women..."
Not so much a "popular idea" than the evolution of an industry.
25
@manta666
I'm sure you feel the same inequity about all the stories that have focused on male ranchers for decades. One story about successful women ranchers in the NYT isn't threatening you, or anyone else.
12
Fantastic article and photos--way to go ladies!
47
Wonderful story. I hope I'm not the only one out here that would like to see more bison in the market and less beef - based on my understanding of the effect on grasslands and prairie. Also, if the gals could incorporate beaver where appropriate. That's my two cents on farming/ranching. Other than that, it's great to see an emphasis on sustainability. So necessary.
37
What an inspiring and real story. Thanks Amy and Amanda. AS a women from the west it is really nice to see this article in the NYT. You go girls!
100
Beautiful photography and great story. Thanks
122
@mainer I agree--prize-winning levels of gorgeous, in my opinion!
14
Here's hoping that new ideas and new values will triumph in those wide open spaces. Perhaps the "trickle down" we've all been waiting for is a changing of the guard.
145