AIN'T NOTHING BUT SOUL
We are moving out of the slowest part of the year at Antelope Springs Ranch, and I’m starting to develop my spring twitch, where I lay down at night, and the mind starts thinking baby calves, traveling basketball season with kids, stocker cattle arriving, end of the school year and ohh, I’m stopping there because the twitch is growing stronger!
 
Whew, and as my body is racing towards the season of green and life and birth, Women in Ranching is in full swing with the Spring Confluence, and preparing for our Texas gathering on the Birdwell and Clark Ranch. There are still a few spots left to join us on this amazing ranch, be sure to sign up soon- registration closes March 15th!
The Spring Confluence is a great point of connection for those of you who have been wanting to gather with Women in Ranching but haven’t had the right opportunity. We are honored to have Acosia Red Elk of 7GEN Wellness + Indigenous Enterprise joining us in conversation on the evening of March 1st. I’ve been working with their team via text and phone calls, as they’ve been performing during Super Bowl week down in Arizona. I’m honored they are bringing their dance, history, work and stories to the Women in Ranching Community.
We’ve shortened our time together on March 2nd & March 3rd in full acknowledgment of everyone’s busy lives and that screen fatigue is real and prominent. We’ll gather together from 9am-12:30pm MST both days. 
 
We’ve noticed that our monthly digest is getting full, maybe you have, too! We’ve decided to shift the asks and offers section of the digest to its own monthly email — if you’re interested in continuing to access this aspect of the digest, sign up below.
 
Please send your asks and offers to our form here.
Amber + the Women In Ranching team

Adele Schott
Little Girl Tough
When we were working cows together and things started to go sideways, my Dad would go to cussing everything in sight—the dogs, the cows, us kids, my Mom, the rocks, the gate, the pick-up and the morning sunrise itself. His favorite turn of phrase was “I have never seen anything like it in my whole life. Worthless sons of guns!” Well, it was kind of like that except unedited and from the volume of a military drill Sergeant, which he was once. No matter what form of unflattering nonsense that came out of him or anyone else in the corral, I could keep working, keep trying. Every time I was called worthless, I tried harder. If I was told I couldn’t do it or that I wasn’t worth my salt, I would dig a little deeper and find a way to prove them wrong. I was and I am tough, dirty tough, surprisingly tough. At the end of those long days, after everything had gotten done after all, I was complimented for being such a tough kid and hanging in there.
 
I have leaned into that characteristic a lot in my life. I am calm under pressure and can really take a verbal beating. I will get the job done no matter what is thrown my way from the weather, equipment failures or worthless son of guns. I am tough but until I learned the value of quitting, I was not brave. If I had been brave, I would have cried, admitted I was scared and needed more instructions to be helpful in the corrals when my Dad was swearing at the sun.
 
Only being tough, without being vulnerable and honest got me into a lot of sticky situations in my life. Relationships that were cruel but tolerable, jobs that were paying less and asking for more, onto the backs of horses that were counterfeit & dangerous all because I was tough enough to handle it and not brave enough to quit it.
 
I don’t mean that I wish I would have given up more often or that I intend to in the future. What I mean is that when I walk with a rock in my boot, I want to stop and take it out before I keep hiking. What I mean is that I want to take on the work of caring for animals, kids and the land with my heart and guts. What I mean is that what I hope for myself is also what I hope for my children and for all of you Women in Ranching. Be tough and soft and bold and methodical and curious and kind and scared. By being brave for ourselves and each other, we won’t always have to be so darn tough.

Adele Schott is a rancher, mother and writer from Northeast Oregon. She grew up around campfires and in kitchens where she picked up the desire to tell good stories and pass them down.
 
The Confluence: Part II of Leadership on the Land
How it all began: In 2020, we were all knee-deep in the COVID pandemic, which meant no in-person Circle gatherings for Women in Ranching. During this time, it felt crucial to continue some kind of programming; even if we couldn’t gather in-person, we could still build and support the community. As we planned the first Confluence, we gave a lot of thought to how to gather virtually in a way that would elevate women’s work and stories on the land and allow folks from different parts of the country and walks of life to find each other in a place that felt safe, welcoming and brave. What came out of this journey is an artistic, expressive, and intimate 2-day event that allows us to expand our community, bringing leadership and participants from a broader background with diverse knowledge bases and cultures and to create opportunities for growth and change. 
 
Though we can join together on the land again, we continue to offer this event because although the value of gathering in-person cannot be replaced, the Confluence has allowed us to be a more inclusive, welcoming, and accessible community. We love sharing this space with all of you!
 
CURRENT SCHEDULE
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REGISTRATION
Kitchen Table Chats
The Kitchen Table Chats offering was born from a realization that the women who care for livestock and those who put meat on the table often exist and operate in silos separated from one another. This program is a collaboration between Women in Ranching and the Good Meat Project to bridge that gap, bringing storytellers and speakers together to have conversations centered around everything from livestock in the pasture to meat at the dinner table, and other women who show up as leaders in their community.
The Kitchen Table Chats are a series of 6 conversations (one per month) with two guests featured in each hour-long chat. Expect thought-provoking conversations and breakout room discussions! The first session will occur during the Confluence on March 3rd and will feature a conversation with Anica Wu and Irene Li. The following five sessions will be monthly from April to August and we want to see you there. This is another fantastic opportunity to bring a friend and join a community with incredible folks.
Sign Up Here.
 
REGISTRATION
Community Check-In Calls
 Starting February 22nd, these sessions provide an informal opportunity for women to re-align, check in with themselves, and be held in a community of supportive peers across a 4 week period. 
Show up as you are, ready to participate and share your thoughts or to be a listening ear for someone else. Do you need support? Do you have a question about your business? Are you ready to be part of a collective process of giving and receiving feedback? Are you feeling alone and want to meet some badass women in the network?
These calls are a great way to meet the facilitators who guide our in-person gatherings and get to know others in the community better. The question is always posed, "How can Women in Ranching support you today?" The conversation is well-facilitated and a perfect opportunity to introduce a friend to the Women in Ranching community or take an hour break in your busy day to re-align. This is a four-part series, a "come as you can" situation. If you sign up, we'll keep you updated on who is facilitating, and any prompts the guides might like to share with you before the call.
 Dates & Sign-up here.
 
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