Hill Country ranch woman creates a Texas legacy of support and education: The Birth of the Women’s Ranch Seminar

Lindsay Alexander, a young ranch woman from the small town of Cherokee in the Hill Country of Texas had an idea. It was to have a Women’s Ranch Seminar. The first of its kind in the State and a way to support women in a field that traditionally is seen as a man’s occupation. Lindsay is an active member of the Hill Country Cattlewomen and is always looking for ways to further support the beef industry, the community, and women as they take on new challenges.

In the spring of 2016, Lindsay had a dear friend who had recently been widowed that she invited to a Hill Country CattleWomen’s (HCCW) meeting when it was in Mason, TX. During lunch, the friend asked Lindsay what resources the CattleWomen had to help her navigate her changing role from inactive to actively managing their family ranch. Lindsay notes that “not able to think of any we had, I walked over to our then President, Vicki Miller and asked her why we didn't have any resources or materials for educating women on practical aspects of the industry. Being the leader Vicki was, she looked at me and said 'Well I don't know, but we should. Why don't you put something together and we will do it?'" The HCCW Women's Ranch Seminar was born.

Lindsay submitted a detailed proposal to the HCCW Executive Committee in June of that year. Then she formed a committee. The 1st Women's Ranch Seminar Committee included Lindsay Alexander, as committee chair, Vicki Miller, then President of the HCCW, Janis Stiefel, Peggy Matli, Mary Krebs, Frederica Foster, Fran Hawkins, Jeanie Ahrens, Dianne Staudt, and Misty Martin who also worked for the Texas Beef Council at the time.

Lindsay further explains, “The first seminar was encouraging and eye opening to realize how many women in the industry needed an educational opportunity targeted to practical information and ways to navigate the ranching industry. We did not set out to give everyone all the information, we set out to put them in contact with the people that could teach and educate. Several of the ladies could not afford many of the more expensive educational events put on in our area, so by making our event free we were able to truly serve our community.”

“One great story came from our second seminar,” Lindsay continued, “now this was passed on to me third hand so I do not want to inaccurately quote the details so I will make it general. But some sisters that attended our event had a vet that came out to their ranch to help with a downed cow and the vet told them to just let the cow die. Well, these ladies had attended the seminar earlier that year and still had our resource handbook, so they called the vet that had been a speaker at the seminar and brought their cow to her. The vet was able to save the cow and calf. What a great story of connections made and opportunities taken.”

The first seminar in February of 2017 had 200 people RSVP. It was held free of charge and included a beef lunch provided and prepared by the Texas Beef Council. Of the attendees, 95% were women. A Resource Booklet and goodie bag with additional information and tools for ranchers was given to each participant. The Hill Country CattleWomen and industry partners donated time and funds to ensure the event would be successful and free to participants. Subsequent events have also included a small trade show with industry partners to enhance the event and aid in offsetting the cost.

The Hill Country CattleWomen have sponsored a Women’s Ranch Seminar on an annual basis until, of course, COVID hit. They anticipate the next seminar to take place in June of 2022 in Fredericksburg, Texas.