By Beth Robinette
Roots of Resilience will host its twelfth New Cowgirl Camp at the Lazy R Ranch in Cheney, WA, from June 26-30, 2024. This five-day, in-person course is an immersive experience for women that combines classroom and hands-on learning in managing ecosystems with livestock. Beginning farmers, ranchers, and those exploring a career in regenerative agriculture, will find the workshop a valuable opportunity to learn about current, science-based management practices that will put their future farm or ranch business on sustainable footing.
During the five-day workshop, students will explore the basics of grazing planning, ecosystem monitoring, low-stress livestock handling, and veterinary medicine with a celebratory, supportive group of women. Attendees will walk away with a handle on what kind of future they are managing towards and how to take the next steps to achieve their farming and ranching goals.
“When I decided to attend New Cowgirl Camp, I didn't know what to expect, but I assumed I would get practical tools and tips that I needed for the future ranching endeavors I sought to pursue on our land,” says Kate Gundry, a Camp alumna. “What an underestimation that was. What I ended up being exposed to was a reverence for land and animal and plant life that I didn't even know was possible, or know that I needed to identify in my own heart.”
Instructors for the course include Beth Robinette, a fourth-generation rancher and certified Holistic Management educator, and Dr. Sandra Matheson, a farmer, educator, filmmaker, author, speaker, and retired veterinarian. Robinette raises grassfed beef with her father, Maurice, at the Lazy R Ranch and is also the co-founder of LINC Foods, a worker-farmer-owned cooperative food hub based in Spokane, WA. Matheson lives and ranches in Bellingham, WA, where she runs a cow-calf operation and grassfed beef and yak business. Matheson is also an Accredited Educator/Field Professional in Holistic Management, and Certified Consensus Facilitator. The facilitation team is rounded out by Alex Machado, a first-generation shepherdess, welder, and the Farmer Collectives Manager with Washington Farmland Trust.
“We cover a lot of content at New Cowgirl Camp, and the days are full of lectures and hands-on learning,” says Robinette. “But most importantly, we are building a community of people who might not necessarily fit the mold you have in your head of the typical rancher. This is a space where anyone who feels called to do this work can get their feet wet.”
Registration for New Cowgirl Camp is $1,250 and includes meals and camping, with attendance limited to 15 students. A limited number of scholarships are also available Questions about the course can be directed to beth@lazyrbeef.com.
Learn more about the New Cowgirl Camp and how to register here.