Collegiate cowgirls

The archetypal—and largely apocryphal—image of the American cattleman has remained relatively unchanged for the last 150 years, looking something like one might find in an old Marlboro magazine ad or gracing the covers of western paperback novels: a man dressed in a cowboy hat and work-worn clothes, his rugged, masculine features hardened by years of living on the open range.

The 21st century reality may more resemble the image cut by Sierra Brown, a 21-year-old Chico State student, as she tends to her daily duties at the University Farm’s Beef Unit. On a recent visit to the farm (officially known as the Paul L. Byrne Agricultural Teaching and Research Center), she swished through a herd of nearly two dozen calves, directing the mass of softly mooing young heifers with subtle waves, whistles and clicks of her tongue, a string of pearls rather than a dusty kerchief circling her neck.

Brown, a senior majoring in animal science, is among a growing number of women who plan to make a post-graduate career in the world of agriculture, and more specifically in beef production. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2007 Census, the total number of women working in agriculture “increased 19 percent from 2002, significantly outpacing the 7 percent increase in the number of farmers overall. The number of women who were the principal operators of a farm or ranch increased by almost 30 percent,” and that growth subsided slightly when the census was updated in 2012.

In fact, the majority of students in Chico State’s College of Agriculture are women, and have been since at least 2010, according to numbers provided by agriculture professor and program coordinator Michael Spiess. In 2010, about 57 percent (268 of 456) of agriculture majors were women, compared to 61 percent (525 of 830) currently.

As an employee of the Beef Unit, Brown tends to the farm’s resident cattle daily. Feed shifts begin at 5:30 a.m., and her duties can include anything from chopping thistles (her least favorite chore) to calving or participating in research projects. As an example of research projects currently underway, she cited how she assisted in camulating a batch of heifers, or installing plugs through the cows’ skin and muscle tissue into the rumen (outer part of a bovine’s stomach) in order to monitor and measure the microbial breakdown of food.

“I think there’s definitely some different challenges [facing women in agriculture], but it’s kind of moving away from that,” Brown said. “Working in the beef industry is hard work. You sweat, you get dirty, you use your hands and you’re sometimes sore afterward. A lot of people think women can’t do it, but we can, and more and more women are getting involved in every level and every process of the beef industry.”

Gabriella DeSimone, 19, and Jillian Casacca, 20, are also Chico State agriculture students who hope to forge their own path in the beef industry. Both are also officers in the local branch of the Young Cattlemen’s Association (DeSimone is president, and Casacca secretary), of which Brown is also a member.

All three women said they have family backgrounds in agriculture. Brown hails from Willow Creek and began raising animals to show at fairs at the age of 9, and bought her first heifer at the age of 12. She continued to breed and raise cows until high school graduation, when she sold her herd for college tuition. DeSimone’s grandfather and uncles run a ranch that has been in her family for generations outside of Likely, a town in the far northeastern corner of California with a population of 63 in 2010.

Casacca, who’s majoring in agriculture business with a minor in animal science, also has raised cattle since her youth through the Future Farmers of America and 4H, and still owns her own herd of about 15 head in her hometown of Hydesville, in Humboldt County. She is also a California beef ambassador for the American National Cattlewomen, and in that capacity engages in outreach, educational and promotional work regarding issues facing the beef industry.

Casacca recently organized and presented educational programs on how cows process the food they eat and the entire “pasture-to-plate” process for Citrus Elementary students. In late September, she will compete with other state ambassadors for a place on a five-person national Beef Ambassador team, a prestigious position with cash and other prizes, including the opportunity to receive an internship with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“From working with the Cattlwomen and being a beef ambassador, I’d love to continue to be involved in the public relations and educational aspects of the beef industry,” she said. “I love talking to kids, and to consumers, about agriculture.

“And, I plan to continue building my herd,” she added.

Like Brown, DeSimone—who is majoring in agriculture business—also works at the University Farm. She currently works in the office, but hopes to get a more hands-on job in the Beef Unit next semester. She plans to graduate next spring at the ripe age of 20, and, in addition to plans to work on the family ranch and start her own herd, she’s already begun designing an educational program to bring inner-city youth to the ranch for personal enrichment and educational outings.

DeSimone and the other women said they’re glad they chose Chico State’s agriculture program and thankful for the opportunities it’s provided. In DeSimone’s case, she said contacts she made in the program helped her obtain an internship at Harris Ranch—California’s largest beef feedlot and largest ranch on the West Coast—last summer.

“It was unique because they’re so big that everything is done there,” she said. “Because of that, I was able to witness the entire process from birthing calves in the late spring to working on the grading line and seeing the beef packaged.”

DeSimone said she doesn’t just see the industry shifting toward including more women, but more young people—and more college graduates—in general.

“I think it’s a good thing because the young folk coming up in the industry have a better, broader education and more knowledge about best practices,” she said. “I know my grandpa is 73 and an active cattleman and he’s all for anyone that wants to work hard and dedicate themselves to raising cattle, whether they’re older or younger, or male or female.”