Women in Agriculture with McKenna Julian

Join us for the last episode of season one of From the Cowboy State while we discuss the newly formed Women in Agriculture (WIA) program started by McKenna in Evanston, WY. Keep an eye out for a WIA program in your county, and don't forget if there is a program you would like to see, stop in and visit with your local extension educator!

McKenna can be reached at: mbrinton@uwyo.edu or (307) 828-4093

Transcript

Makayla Getz: [00:00:00] Are we ready?

McKenna Julian: I guess so. 

Makayla Getz: Okay. Thank you for tuning in to from the Cowboy State episode nine, this is a University of Wyoming extension agriculture and natural resources podcast. And we have a special guest today, McKenna Julian from Lincoln County, formerly Uinta County, officially Lincoln County now, and we are talking All things women in agriculture.

Makayla Getz: So I'm going to turn it over to McKenna, let her introduce herself, give us a little background. And she is so excited to do so. 

McKenna Julian: Uh, good morning, Makayla. Uh, yeah. So my name is McKenna Julian and I am the Ag and Natural Resources Educator in Lincoln County. I was in Uinta County for about five years and have made the transfer up.

McKenna Julian: Um, I'm based out of the Kemmerer office. So. I still cover pretty much the entire southwest corner at this point. I was born and raised in western [00:01:00] Wyoming. I don't have near the, uh, cool backs of some of your former guests. Um, I went to the University of Wyoming for my undergrad in animal science. And then I went on to the University of Nebraska Lincoln for my master's degree in ruminant nutrition.

McKenna Julian: I always thought I would, uh, You know, hang out in the Midwest, maybe Oklahoma or somewhere on a feedlot for like five years and do the nutrition thing. 

Makayla Getz: Yeah. 

McKenna Julian: And on my graduation day from my master's degree, I hopped in my car and I drove west as fast as I could. I missed western Wyoming so much. Yeah. So, yep, I'm, I've been 

McKenna Julian: back in Wyoming, in the mountains, since 2019.

Makayla Getz: Very nice. And you were the 4 H educator down there. 

McKenna Julian: I did, yep. I worked in 4 H for three years, um, until an ag position came open. That's really where my passion's always been. Yeah. Um, so then I, I switched over as quick as I could. 

Makayla Getz: There you go. Fair enough. And You are [00:02:00] not only an ag educator, you and your husband also have a sheep program, or not a sheep program, sorry, a, uh, what are my words, there we go, I'm like, all I can think of a sheep task 

Speaker 2: force, a sheep operation.

Speaker 2: Yeah, um, so I married into a very large scale range sheep operation in, um, Kemmerer, Wyoming. Yeah. Um, yeah. My background has always been cows. I grew up with cows, raising some breeding females, what not. My family has cows. And it's been an adjustment. It's a sheep world, but it's really no different. They're just smaller than the cows to me.

Speaker 2: Um, and I love it. We, the range operation is really fascinating. It's kind of like stepping back in time to a world. you know, a hundred years ago. 

Speaker 2: Yeah. The 

Speaker 2: sheep camps and the wagons and, um, yeah, it's been great so far. 

Makayla Getz: That's awesome. And we are recording [00:03:00] this episode at the Wyoming . Yeah. The, the 10th of September.

Makayla Getz: So just kind of a fun little special episode recording here. And it is, this is the only ram sale in Wyoming? 

McKenna Julian: This is. 

Makayla Getz: Yeah. 

McKenna Julian: This is kind of the week of ram sales. Mm hmm. The whole week there's Mile City and Headinger and several right up here in the western part of the U. S. 

Makayla Getz: Yeah, but it's something special in Wyoming, so kind of neat.

Makayla Getz: So, women in agriculture. You started that program earlier this year or last year? Last year. 

McKenna Julian: It started, it kicked off in March. Okay. Um, and it's really, it's in its infancy. 

McKenna Julian: Hmm. Um, I'll be honest, I kind of stumbled into it. Uh, we put on a program thinking it was going to be really small. Sure. In Wichita County.

McKenna Julian: Um, and really the, the driving factor was just to get a group of women together with kind of a common ground. And, Really develop a sisterhood and it blew up into something a lot larger than we thought [00:04:00] so we in March in Evanston we put on a program we did a dinner and we invited four young Females within different sectors of the industry.

McKenna Julian: So we had somebody from the sheep side couple of cow Um, we pulled in somebody from extension that's got kind of some background in horses and cattle. And really all I asked him to do was tell your story. Um, and let's have a conversation with this entire group of women about, you know, not only the different aspects in ag, but our involvement and how we as women can leave our footprint within ag, within kind of a man's world.

McKenna Julian: Because women are very thick in, in agriculture. Sure. So these, these ladies did a wonderful job really telling their story and the conversations and the camaraderie that came out of that. I mean, I watched generational ranches and their women really get [00:05:00] excited and see kind of this movement happening.

McKenna Julian: And they were, you know, picking the brains of these 20 year old gals that were doing their thing. And kind of just watched all of these women get excited for the future and what else we can do. You know, it's not just supporting the operation, whether it's doing the books or cooking dinner and whatnot.

McKenna Julian: But we had women that they have their own podcasts and their blogs and they're, they've got, you know, a little, I'm gonna call it an Airbnb. They're renting out sheep camps or they're touching ag by selling calves to it. four inch kids and trying to help them get their leg up or it was really just amazing to see this group of women come together and Kind of light a fire in everybody's bellies about we can, we're doing great things and let's continue to do it.

McKenna Julian: So that was, that was kind of the beginning. Sure. And I've talked to you several times, Makayla, 

McKenna Julian: [00:06:00] about 

McKenna Julian: this program and expanding it. 

Makayla Getz: Yeah. 

McKenna Julian: So like I said, it's in its infancy. There is nothing currently happening other than a lot of planning for the future. 

Makayla Getz: Right. 

McKenna Julian: You know, we would love to continue kind of these small, I guess I'll call it a bit of a listening session, um, kind of continue that as well as bringing in some education.

McKenna Julian: Um, whether it's, you know, talking about some economic stuff at the use and how do we, how do we do the books? How do we do data management on the operation unit cost of production? Um, To, you know, what other avenues can we explore? Is it, um, direct home sales, the farm to table, um, with your products or what other, I guess, money streams can we bring into the operation or the family, um, through agriculture and, and the operations currently going on at home.

McKenna Julian: So we are. Hopefully developing something that can go wide across the state, especially as we've [00:07:00] gotten more female A& R educators across the state. 

Makayla Getz: Yeah, absolutely. I think that's something important to call out too is, you know, I think the programs will continuously evolve into what the people of Wyoming need want to see.

McKenna Julian: But then too, you know what you just said, We have an influx of women, agriculture, natural resources, educators, educators across the board, you know, I feel like there's always been a hefty amount in our 4 H educators, um, just, just naturally, um, just because of where that education lies with youth education, youth development, excuse me.

McKenna Julian: But it's been more male dominated in that A& R, Ag and Natural Resources roles and we've seen how many women educators are there now? 

McKenna Julian: I think we've got five. Oh no, we've got one now. 

Makayla Getz: Yeah. 

McKenna Julian: Pushing ten. 

Makayla Getz: Yeah. I think 

McKenna Julian: across the [00:08:00] state right now. Which is. I think we're outnumbering the men at this point. 

Makayla Getz: Which is crazy to say.

McKenna Julian: I mean, it's good crazy, but it's kind of crazy to see. Typically it's, you know, the inverse. So there's definitely obviously that need for those women in agriculture or yeah, women in agriculture programs across the state. So it's exciting to see those continue too. Expand and expand not in just, Hey, here's some bookkeeping classes.

McKenna Julian: Here's this one course, but what do we bring to the table? What do we need to see and talk about? And here's this whole community for you for whatever you need. Um, and even if you need to take something off the table or, you know, like behind a closed door with somebody else, here's this connection for you.

Makayla Getz: Yeah. 

McKenna Julian: Um, which I think is what got me so excited about it. 

McKenna Julian: Yeah, I'll tell you. When we put that event on in March what amazed me, I got, we, we took reservations. We would have enough, you know, and I had about 10 [00:09:00] men call me, 

McKenna Julian: can 

McKenna Julian: I come? Absolutely. This is not exclusive. No, I think really the The whole point behind Women in Ag is supporting.

McKenna Julian: It's not saying that this is a sorority and you can't be female. Um, and so we, that night, we had several men there to support their wives, their daughters. Um, and what I've seen from our fellow educators, I mean, I was just talking to Rob Ziegler a minute ago, Um, Several of our male educators like how can we help?

Makayla Getz: Yeah, 

McKenna Julian: we want to help We want to be involved in the the programs and the teaching and really the whole movement So 

Makayla Getz: well, I think you mentioned to me Micah most in Johnson County. He wants to add the program up there, too. Absolutely. Yeah 

McKenna Julian: Yeah, so I love to see the really the passion from every corner of the state at the moment Yeah, and there is currently a women in ag program in Wyoming.

McKenna Julian: Yes organization And we'd love to partner with them and [00:10:00] really expand this entire thing. A lot of other extension programs across the nation have something similar, or it's kind of tailoring at least some of the programs specifically to developing education or really that bond, that sisterhood. So, I think that's where we'd really like to take it, 

McKenna Julian: but 

McKenna Julian: you might have, your male educator might be the one putting the program 

McKenna Julian: on 

McKenna Julian: and that's great.

Makayla Getz: Absolutely. So you briefly touched on it, but where do you see, obviously expansion, but where do you see the women in ag program headed? 

McKenna Julian: Yeah. So like I said, we're really in the planning phase at the moment. I've reached out to you, Michaela and several of our other colleagues across the state and we're kind of the point of.

McKenna Julian: hammering a good plan out. Um, I think here in the next few months, you can expect to see similar programs happening in the Southwest corner state, either Lincoln, you went to Sweetwater County somewhere in there or the Northwest corner where you're [00:11:00] at. 

Makayla Getz: Right. 

McKenna Julian: And then. I think we'll probably see them pop up in all four corners.

McKenna Julian: Um, and then hopefully we can get one going kind of in the middle of the state. But I think we'll probably start small, get really kind of build the movement. So these probably start out with a few more of these more informal, get to know you nights. And then a lot of that is, you know, talking to the women that come and saying, what, what would you like to see, you know, is it a cost on unit cost of product or a class on unit cost of production, or are you on classes on nutrition, right?

McKenna Julian: Or, you know, is it really developing a business plan for whatever? Maybe side hustle you're currently exploring. So a lot of that's really the needs assessment that needs to be done. Yeah. The conversations at stock growers and talking to our Wyoming cattle women. And so it'll be a slow movement. I think we want to start out right instead of rushing it more than anything.

Makayla Getz: Absolutely. 

McKenna Julian: But I would expect at least a program. A couple programs on the west side of the state in the next few months. [00:12:00] 

Makayla Getz: Those sound like phenomenal goals. I'm excited. So, we're having our, I don't want to call it a test run, but we are having our first Women in Ag program night on November 1st in Park County and we are modeling it.

Makayla Getz: You know, exactly like the Uinta County night. We're not going to have a full fledged dinner. It is light appetizers and beverages. Uh, and we are going to have some guest speakers. Melissa Cook from Bighorn County is aiding in that planning efforts, uh, since, you know, being community vitality and health there in Bighorn.

Makayla Getz: She helps out Park County and then being Ag and Natural Resources, I do help out Big Horn County over there. And then that is location wise a little TBD at the moment, but it is going to be there in Park County. Uh, we just, we're nailing out the location. And then we've got the date and everything, but it is, like I said, going to be modeled after Uinta County's program there with the guest speakers and.

Makayla Getz: Awesome. Yeah. So we're super [00:13:00] excited to, to have that and then super excited to keep working with you on the future goals. Yeah. 

McKenna Julian: Yeah. No, I'm excited. Excited to get a team put together and yeah. I guess make this kind of a, our pet project, but develop and grow it across the state. Cause we have a lot of female producers or supporters of the ag industry.

McKenna Julian: Um, from all walks of life and all, all aspects of the industry. I mean, Ag is a very, very broad industry. So I'm excited to see, see who all's out there and get to know them, meet them, um, and keep pushing forward for the future of Wyoming ag more than anything. 

Makayla Getz: There is a, when I was actually, when I was driving myself up here, when I was moving up here to Wyoming, one of the things I did was listen to a Wyoming podcast, which I don't want to mess up the name.

Makayla Getz: So I will. include the name and the Spotify link in the little info [00:14:00] box. We always, um, include details and resources on for our podcasts. Um, but they actually had a like history of Wyoming ranching episode, and there are two ranches in Park County that are completely women owned and operated. So it is pretty neat.

Makayla Getz: Um, and just, you know, kind of, solidifies the need for. 

McKenna Julian: Oh, absolutely. 

Makayla Getz: Yeah. 

McKenna Julian: And really, if you start looking at women owned businesses 

McKenna Julian: that 

McKenna Julian: touch the, the ag industry, I mean, they're vast. We've got educators within our system that own silversmithing companies. Yes. Um, that do leather work that might have their own livestock or they put up hay or, I mean, it's very, very broad.

Makayla Getz: Yeah. Yeah. Or they do rodeo photography in some way, you know. 

McKenna Julian: Yep, I mean it's, when we talk ag, it's not just livestock and crop production. It is everything from [00:15:00] rodeo. All the entities that support. Yeah, it's, I mean they might even own the co op in town. Sure. That provides the fuel and the tires, um, for their community.

McKenna Julian: Yeah. That's what's amazing about Wyoming. You can't walk into a town and, Not go ag business, ag business, ag business. Because it is enrooted deep into, into Wyoming and its history. 

Makayla Getz: So, yeah. Fantastic. Um, so in the perfect world, what are the, you know, obviously you touched on the expansion of the programs and having some in the center of the state, all the other corners, but do you have any perfect world goals for this program?

McKenna Julian: Yeah. So I would love to see, you know, a few years from now. Excuse me, us have, have a conference, 

McKenna Julian: um, 

McKenna Julian: whether it's associated with something like stock growers or a standalone, um, within the state that, you know, we bring in some high caliber presenters to talk about personal development [00:16:00] to maybe some of this education side.

McKenna Julian: I would love to see us have a couple of courses, um, That are probably like multi meeting, I guess, multi program courses. Um, that kind of tailor to all sorts of things. Whether it's the economic side, or business development, or how to feed your livestock. Or really take everything that extension is. And put it into these streamlined courses that would provide a certificate at the end, or Oh, that'd 

McKenna Julian: be great.

McKenna Julian: Um, you know, maybe, I've had discussions with a couple of female producers across the state about doing a women only ranch camp. Or AI schools, or really kind of harnessing that 

McKenna Julian: Yeah. 

McKenna Julian: That livestock production side. So the business, how do you make money doing this? But also, We're going to vaccinate today.

McKenna Julian: We're going to AI today. We're going to, you know, palpate cows or, um, have a quick course on calving and how to, how to [00:17:00] handle some calving difficulty stuff, but really tailor it more on the women's side. Um, I mean, I believe a woman can do anything a man can do, but. My husband is a lot stronger than I am.

Makayla Getz: Yep. 

McKenna Julian: Um, so he always makes fun of me, how I might handle certain things. And I'm like, look, I've got to leverage all the body weight I've got. Yes. And all my strength. So 

Makayla Getz: I literally have to take this 160 pounds and use all of 

McKenna Julian: it. So yeah. But I'm also not too proud to say I can't. Yeah. I need your help. So I think there's, there's a role for everybody, but, um, you know, we're not delicate flowers either.

McKenna Julian: So. 

Makayla Getz: Right. Well, and I think it's too, a matter of, you know, it's not an exclusion of, Hey, we're not including them. And it's a matter of giving women an environment to, like you said, say, Hey, you're not too proud. Yeah. But here's an environment to let you feel comfortable and here's how to maneuver your body to get that [00:18:00] calf on the ground and brand it or AI your cow or yeah, whatever the course is.

McKenna Julian: I did an internship up at the Hoodoo, um, in Park County for a summer. And I had the pleasure of working with one of the coolest women I've ever met. Um, and we were calving to start. When I first got there, we calved out a couple hundred head. Um, and I mean, I remember I was pretty strong and fit, especially when I was in college.

McKenna Julian: And that first calf was on the run and we need to tag this bugger. And, um, finally got a hold of this calf and I went to break it. Just like my dad had always taught me. And she looked at me like. What are you doing? And so she showed me how she does it. I don't break a calf down anyway. But that, I'm like, why would I put all that weight on my back?

McKenna Julian: Bodies are different. I just tip it with some leverage. So, I [00:19:00] mean, there is There are some, definitely some differences, and I mean, a lot of women are still strong enough to break calves down, but 

Makayla Getz: Absolutely. 

McKenna Julian: My husband makes fun of me on how I do it, and so that probably also leads to why I continue to do it that way.

McKenna Julian: Sure. You 

Makayla Getz: know. No, I think that's great. What else? 

McKenna Julian: Really, I guess my biggest urge for any, anybody out there, women, men, whatever. Yeah. Um, If this sounds like something that interests you, or, um, a movement that you would love to see continue, please reach out to Makayla, to myself, to your local educator. Um, I don't care if it's Mica in Johnson County, or Jedediah in Converse, or whoever.

McKenna Julian: Um, if there's a program you'd love to see, Tell us. Please let us know. I mean, and not only for this, but for Extension as a whole, if you'd love to see a class on something, we don't know it until we're told. If you want to see a class on grasshoppers, [00:20:00] tell us. You know, yeah, that's what we're here for.

McKenna Julian: That's what Extension is. We're the old school Google, but yes, we are still relevant. But the biggest thing at the end of the day, we serve the communities of Wyoming. 

Makayla Getz: Yep. 

McKenna Julian: We work for you, not just because you pay our salaries, but we do work for you. So let us work for you to help you. Yes. Don't be irrelevant.

McKenna Julian: So 

Makayla Getz: yeah, 

McKenna Julian: whatever you guys would love to know, um, or see more of. 

Makayla Getz: And we have offices in every county across the state, including the Wind River. Yes, true. And including the Wind River Reservation. So please, if you're not somebody to call or email. Stop in our offices. Yeah, don't hesitate. So yeah, great Well, you heard it here first folks women in ag Maybe not first, but you heard it here McKenna Julian women in ag Coming to a county near you Thank [00:21:00] you so much for hopping on the podcast.

Makayla Getz: This has been episode number nine. And, uh, we will include McKenna's contact information. And if you have any questions, comments, concerns on women and ag, don't hesitate to reach out to her, reach out to your local Extension office. And this has been episode nine, a University of Wyoming Extension podcast, Agriculture and Natural Resources podcast.

Makayla Getz: so much for joining us. Again, I'm your host Michaela Goetz. Thank you so much.

Makayla Getz: As a reminder, this is the [00:22:00] University of Wyoming Extension podcast. The university is committed to equal opportunity for all persons in all facets of the university's operations and is an equal opportunity slash affirmative action employer. If you have any questions, comments, concerns about this statement, please don't hesitate to reach out to me at michaelagoetz.

Makayla Getz: com. At uw.edu and we can get your questions answered. And if you have any questions, comments, concerns about the podcast as well, again, don't hesitate to reach out to that email address m gtz@uw.edu. Again, this has been a University of Wyoming Extension, agriculture and Natural Resources Podcast. Thank you so much for tuning in.