Melissa is a first generation rancher originally from Southern California. She studied Agroecology and food systems at UC Berkeley where she entered the ag world by way of urban community farming. Her interest in local foodways and food justice inform all her work, from marketing and facilitating educational workshops to raising grassfed and finished beef. Her love of animals drew her to ranching and she believes adaptive livestock management is crucial to restore grasslands and reverse desertification, revitalize rural economies and create healthy communities.

Anica is a first-generation Chinese American. Her family immigrated from Hong Kong to the US in 1992—just shy of her sixth birthday. In the years of growing up in Kansas, where Asians were the minority, food was a means for her family to keep traditions alive and celebrate their Chinese culture. Her love for food, especially meat, led her to the realization that Good Meat was mostly absent from Chinese grocers in America. In 2018, Anica started training as a whole-animal butcher and began her journey into the regenerative meat industry. Learning this craft has helped her to realize just how much work is required to get meat on our plates. It made her think about ingredients differently, the experience of eating food differently, and she was empowered by the control small farmers had over how the animal and land was treated. As a woman working in a male-dominated industry, Anica has found a deep sense of belonging within Women in Ranching. Her hope is to be able to share her butchery skills with other women, and help grow the support system for women in food and agriculture.

As a Northern Cheyenne rancher and director/effector of the Wild Rose Center, a retreat and community resource center, I believe that Land has the power to heal us. I also believe that Food is medicine and I subscribe to the Native American philosophy that we are all related. I love meeting people who are making change- small ones and big ones and supporting their journey.

Amber has been ranching in rural western communities for nearly 20 years with her partner and two children, stewarding Antelope Springs Ranch near Cohagen, MT, comprising 53,000 acres of native grassland. Her passion is rooted in building a future where rural families thrive and all people are empowered and supported in pursuing work that aligns with their passion and purpose. Her time working with NGOs in the Middle East, and six years as an Activity Director in a rural nursing home, have helped her develop a unique passion for creating spaces of dignity, joy, and acceptance. Women in Ranching allows her to center her work with people closest to the soil's surface, creating a network of peers who believe a better future is possible for us all.