Meet Megan Brown, a sixth generation RanchHer from California. Megan is a smart, strong woman who is working to take over her family’s ranch. The ranch is located at the base of Table Mountain in the Sierra Nevadas of northern California. I caught up with Megan on a cold and rainy early spring day. I was greeted by a hot breakfast. It was boasting her wonderful cooking and fresh veggies growing in her little garden located outside her front door.
Upon walking in the front door, I could tell it was going to be a day full of RanchHer fun. We started out the morning to go out to feed Silly, her not so tiny “teacup” pig. Silly just so happens is trained enough to shake Megan’s hand when offered up a cookie.
RanchHer Herding Cows with Her Dogs
From there it was onto her UTV. Just her, me and four of her furry four-legged working friends: the dogs. We rode out in an attempt to move the cows to a different pasture where they needed to be to access their water. The cows had a different idea though. They ran through the wrong gate and in the wrong direction. We circled around, she reset her dogs and we gave it another try, this time with success.
As we were tearing through the wet ground, splashing through the mud and driving over tons of rocks, Megan explained that while their ranch is a lot of acres, the ground isn’t usable for anything except grazing. This is due to the extreme rockiness of the soil.
We were visiting in the early spring, which was just about the greenest grass I have ever seen. She also explained that the green would give way to brown, dried up grass and hotter temperatures in just weeks. So she and her family would then move their cattle up north to a cooler climate. This would cause less stress on the cattle.
When that job was done, we loaded up into the biggest blue truck I have ever seen. We went to another pasture to put out mineral for another group of cattle. Megan carefully watching, checking the cattle as we drove and talked.
My day with Megan was one I won’t forget. She is not only a strong, capable and competent RanchHer, but a joy to be around. She has a clear love for life. That love she brings to relationships, ranching, cooking and definitely to her animals. She is an excellent advocate for agriculture and is not afraid to speak her mind in support of her family, the life she loves and the land she cares for.
Watch Megan’s full episode on our YouTube channel now!