A Brief History
2023 MARKS ONE YEAR OF WOMEN IN RANCHING AS ITS OWN ENTITY AND NONPROFIT.
We want to honor and celebrate the individuals and organizations who have placed stones along the way, building WIR into what it is today and setting a solid foundation for future growth.
Throughout history, women have joined together to address and find solutions to problems— airing their burdens of the hearth, business, community, or whatever they may be holding. The first Women in Ranching "Circles" were created in this same spirit, providing a community where stories are held, and experiences are affirmed and elevated. In these places, there has always been a shared belief that our land needs more caring hands and hearts.
In 2016, Two amazing women recognized a need within their greater community
Hearing the collective call from women who were seeking support in their work in agriculture, Elaine Patarini of Paicines Ranch and Wendy Millet of Tomkat Ranch responded by gathering women together on the land to connect them with one another and create a community within an industry that has historically sidelined and withheld resources for female-identifying folks. The gathering was wildly successful, with at least 26 women attending. Elaine and Wendy continued hosting facilitated Circles annually for the following six years.
Attending one of these very Circles inspired Amber Smith to host a gathering in Montana with support from Paicines and TomKat Ranch, bringing together a group of women in a new location. As in the early gatherings, the connection and community created in Montana had a palpable energy, and the calls for more opportunities to gather continued to grow. Soon it became evident that Women in Ranching needed a larger platform with more resources and structure to evolve and expand effectively. Recognizing this need, conversations began with Lesli Allison, Executive Director of the Western Landowners Alliance (WLA) and member of the early gatherings at Paicines Ranch. In June of 2018, Women in Ranching became a program of WLA, where it could grow across the West.
WIR remained a program of WLA for four years under the guidance of Amber Smith and Hallie Mahowald and, in that time, gained exposure to a greater diversity of folks who were enthusiastic about hosting gatherings on their land and becoming involved with the program. WIR had an outward face and could grow a wider breadth of women seeking community in their work on the land.
A note from our Executive Director, Amber Smith
"Lesli Allison took a chance on us and gave me the freedom to take Women in Ranching in the direction it needed to grow and to continue supporting women on the land, whatever that might look like."
As the call came forward from Women in Ranching participants for the organization to dive deeper into addressing the complex and nuanced needs of female-identifying folks in agriculture, the time was right for WIR to continue in its evolution. In June 2022, with the support of WLA and the program's original founders, Amber led Women in Ranching to the next natural step: becoming a nonprofit with a mission to hold brave space, support courageous action, and champion rural women's leadership on the land.
Today, an increasingly robust and diverse community is participating in and collaborating with WIR, transforming the organization for the better. With the shared awareness that our board and leadership need to reflect the fullness of those caring for the land, Women in Ranching has embarked on yet another pivotal growth point. At our one-year mark as a new organization, we are intentionally choosing to expand our board— extend our table, and welcome the diverse voices that will guide WIR into the future.
With gratitude, we thank the many people, ranches, and organizations who have shown such generosity, care, and trust — you have all played an integral role in moving WIR forward.
Together, we breathe air into Women in Ranching as an evolving community-centered organization. We can't wait to see what the future holds.
