Montana Farmer Elizabeth Henric

Meet Elizabeth Henric. She’s farmed all over the world. Now she works at Amalthea Dairy Farm in Montana.

“There are so many things I love about working at Amaltheia—seeing my friends every day, greeting the animals, early mornings with snow capped mountain sunrises. I think most of all I love working outside and getting my hands dirty.” -Farmer Elizabeth Henric

“I feel so blessed to have a job that I can have her with me. That being said, it was also very challenging. I could not have any expectations for the day. Some days we’d work one hour and it would be really stressful. Other days we’d work 5 and it would be a breeze. I had to time my tasks to meet her needs. Some things were only possible once she was napping on my back. Sometimes she would fall asleep easily without a fuss. Other times we had to go out for a long walk before she’d relax enough to close her eyes. There were days when we’d be at the farm for four hours but only get a couple hours of work done. I’d get frustrated but remind myself that spending time with her is just as important as my work.” -Elizabeth Henric

Elizabeth’s advice to others interested in farming,

“Don’t wait! Don’t wait till you live in the perfect place or you’re able to buy land or you have enough money or whatever excuse! Find ways to be in nature and work with plants and animals, whether it be volunteering at a local farm, putting a few plants in the ground or in a pot at your house, or like I did—make a list of some of the things you want to learn and work seasonally, traveling to different farms to learn those things.” -Elizabeth Henric

The Women of Amaltheia Dairy Farm

Amaltheia Dairy Farm in Montana is a family run operation.

“We have had our farm for over 20 years. We love the Bozeman area and our goats get to enjoy beautiful scenery and seasons we have here. It’s beautiful every day.The best thing about what we do is to provide nutritious, delicious organic goat cheeses, pork, and vegetables to people. Those people appreciate being able to get great food and are thankful. It is a symbiotic relationship.

We have been making cheese for 17 years, certified organic for 12 years. We are sustainable farmers and try to utilize all of our resources and byproducts responsibly. We use the whey from the cheese to feed organic hogs and compost and use all of our manure for fields and gardens.

We sell our cheese in Montana, Western states, and on the east and west coasts to stores and restaurants.” -Sue Brown, Owner of Amaltheia Dairy Farm

 

“To be raised in a barn is the most fulfilling childhood I could possibly imagine. Yes, it’s a lot of hard work; but you develop a close-knit relationship with animals and nature. And my parents’ ideals of organic, home grown food for their children has definitely been instilled in my brother and myself. We are blessed to be able to continue to develop and hone-in our farming and cheese making skills into the future. My brother and I hope to take the reigns and continue to provide our community with farm-fresh, organic products.

It is a challenge everyday to balance work and home life. But, it is truly fulfilling at the end of the day to know everything that you do impacts your family and their well-being. We are beyond blessed to have a family that is capable of finding that balance with one another.

I love working with my family. My mom is the hardest working person I know, so to be able to keep up with her is a challenge in itself. My parents are incredibly thoughtful, hard-working and intelligent. I look up to them in so many ways, and they are the reason I love what I do.” -Sarah Brown

“My favorite part of this farm is how recycled the resources and byproducts are. The manure is collected from the pens and spread in the fields to nourish the soil which grows the vegetables as well as hay and straw for the animals. The whey from the cheese is fed to the pigs and they go crazy for it. The outcome being the food we produce, which we eat to nourish our bodies so we can continue to work the land. It is a pretty great cycle. And the piglets. I love watching them!” -Karen Page

 

 

“I wish everyone knew how involved it is to grow organically and how closely we interact with each and every plant. I have thought often about tracking how many times we touch each plant, from seeding to weeding to harvest and packing for sale. Our personal farming techniques involve a fair amount of time crawling around in the soil and making sure our little plants are thriving. Small scale organic vegetable production is ultimately a labor of love, and everyone should be a little more involved with where their food is coming from, and be supportive of organic and local agriculture in your community.” -Karen Page

Visit www.amaltheiadairy.com to find out more.

Builder Amber Williams

Meet Amber Williams, Timber Production Manager aka “Lead Lawg Dawg” at On Site Management in Bozeman, Montana.

“In 1997, I got a job after school working in a local cabinet shop. They made doors, cabinets and furniture that ended up in OSM homes a majority of the time. It was there that I learned traditional woodworking skills from journeyman cabinetmakers. Three years later I was unhappy with the limitations of cabinetry, I wanted something more. I had a solid base of knowledge giving me the confidence to transition from fine woodworking to heavy construction. I started my own business building furniture and cabinets as well as working for OSM as a subcontractor. After doing this for a year I applied to work for OSM full time as an employee. The atmosphere and ability to build the best homes in the area is something I am still proud of.” -Builder Amber Williams

“Being a builder is the only way I can make a living and be an artist at the same time. We build amazing works of functional art in remote locations that people can live in. This is the best of both worlds, the building experience of working in areas that most people will never see is unlike any other, and knowing that your work will withstand the test of time and be appreciated by generations. When building log assemblies, you don’t have the ability to work with traditional elements of level and square. It’s up to each team member to see the twisted log and find a way to make it plumb or level and fit within the job. Our end goal is to make each piece appear as though it grew together. Working with your hands allows each person at the end of each day to stand back and say, ‘I built that!'” -Builder Amber Williams

Amber’s advice for anyone looking to get into the building industry:

“Be true to yourself, listen to your gut, and always do your best. You will never please those around you so don’t waste your energy. Remember to be kind to yourself, the world is hard enough as it is, don’t add to the insecurities/negativity already thrust upon you. Allow your work to speak for you.”

The Women of Iron Maiden Welding

Iron Maiden Welding, a small business in Bozeman, Montana, is owned and operated by Brenda Gayer. She’s been selling her work since she was 16 years old, and has now developed her brand into one of a kind, colorful works of art.

“Get out there and do it! Get a job where you can learn as much about it as possible. Even if you start at the bottom and work your way up. You can never learn enough.

Like anything, (welding) has its ups and downs. Attitude and confidence are the key. If you go into a situation with the ‘I got this!’ outlook, it doesn’t matter if you are a man or woman. Stay true to you! Be confident! Be confident!” -Welder Brenda Gayer

Tiffani, who’s been working with her for 2 and a half years, loves the job and hopes to create a small business of her own some day.

“I have been welding for 8 years now, and High School is where I discovered my passion for it. Welding was interesting to me, because it is something that has been a part of my family for generations. My father’s got his first job as a welder following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. I figured it was the perfect thing for me to try that was different and challenging.

I recommend that all young people try welding if they have the opportunity, or find some sort of trade that they find enjoyable and can be skillful at. Welding has given me a lot of job opportunities, and I think it is something especially women should try.

What I love about welding most is that it gives me the ability to express myself and be different, because not a lot of people I meet can do what I do.” -Welder Tiffani Eccleston

Click here to find out more about Iron Maiden Welding.

Ranchers Lilly Brogger and Morgan Kuntz

Lilly Brogger and Morgan Kuntz: best friends, fellow fiddlers, and Montana natives lead beautiful ranching lives. Lilly is 5th generation from Gallatin County and Morgan is 4th generation from Beayerhead County. Both are rooted deep in family ties and find their peace behind the reigns. Lilly and Morgan have been riding for as long as they’ve been able (on the ranch, that translates to around 4 years old). They are independent, strong, and skilled.

“I have been through a large chunk of the West and do love a lot of other places, but Montana is definitely special. I cuss it every winter when it’s 30 below and I want to ride, but between the people, sense of community, beautiful country, and my family’s connection here, I can’t imagine how different my life would be if I hadn’t grown up here.” -Lilly Brogger

“It isn’t unusual for me to be the only woman at brandings, gathering cows, etc., and because my mom is so capable and that was just the norm, it wasn’t until I was 20 or so that I stepped back and realized how amazing the example she set for me is. I have never seen my gender as a limiting factor, which is common in ranching families, because women are expected to work too. However, there are plenty of men in agriculture as well who will try to do your job for you because they are so traditionally minded that they can’t see how a woman could do a man’s job. Nothing feels better than having a better horse, roping better, or being more helpful than that man that looked down on you. My attitude about this no doubt comes from my mom. She has never been a self-proclaimed ‘feminist’ but I now realize that she embodies everything that a capable woman should. She can fix fence and then cook an amazing meal at the end of the day, which is what ranch women are about. And the coolest part about it is that she has never pointed to gender as a factor, she simply does things. It’s really hard to respect yourself when you are actively having to remind yourself to do so, which is what a lot of women do because they didn’t have an example like my mom. My mom engrained it in me so I don’t have to think about it. Even though I am not doing daily ranch work right now, this has served me in so many ways in my life. I have a significant other that treats me like an equal, my peers respect me, I treat myself with respect, I’m not afraid to ask for what I want…the list goes on and on. My dad married my mom because she is so capable, which makes me feel very lucky” -Lilly Brogger

“One of the biggest misconceptions I deal with is people come to Montana and they think this is a state full of “big rich farmers and ranchers” when really that couldn’t be further from the truth. Production agriculture is a tough career to jump into and most of us that are in it don’t do it for the money I can tell you that. We do it because our families did it and we love the lifestyle. There is a lot of risk in production agriculture. The weather, politics, and society drive the price for our product and it is totally out of our control. Agriculturalist have a thankless job. We work our fingers to the bone and hardly ever turn a profit- in fact it is often lots of us operate at a loss but we pick ourselves up- stretch last year’s income a little further, and pray that next year’s crop prices are better. We do all of this while continually being criticized by today’s society and the kicker is- most of the people who criticize us wouldn’t even last a day working along side us. Producers owe their everything to the land and the animals they raise. We would never take that blessing for granted. That food in the grocery store came from average people like me and the Brogger family and a lot of that stuff may have even come from Montana. We are the number 1 producer of lentils in the nation and we are in the top 10 for beef production.” -Morgan Kuntz

Off to Montana

Crafted in Carhartt recently made the trip to Montana in search of a few more women who do amazing things. Here’s what I took with me:

And here is a Polaroid sneak peak of what I was up to while in Montana:

If you are a woman who does amazing things and you want to be featured, reach out to me on instagram.

Amanda Sugden of the Montana Outdoor Science School

To see the world through the eyes of a child. It’s what we all hope for and get nostalgic over. Have you ever wondered why? The world is so big and beautiful as a kid. Those mountains seem taller and the sky even bluer. The bird’s song is merrier and finding a worm in the dirt is a grand prize.

As we grow up, I think most of us miss the days when playing in mud and jumping in puddles was a normal and age appropriate thing to do. Amanda Sugden of the Montana Outdoor Science School (MOSS) is here to tell you that nature fueled adventures are still perfectly acceptable and healthy for all ages. Get outside, explore, and get a little messy. It’s good for the soul.

Amanda develops outdoor science curriculum that focuses on integrating science, technology, engineering, and math in outdoor settings. She teaches students from Kindergarten to 8th grade about the glories of the outdoors, which abound in Bozeman, Montana. MOSS hopes to encourage kids to become aware of and care for the environment.

“People are naturally curious and are drawn to the outdoors. If I do my job just right, I get to watch people come out of their shells, embrace the ability to play, and get excited to learn about science because they’re already interested in what’s under that rock!” -Amanda Sugden

This feature on Amanda seems all the more appropriate this week with the hashtag #distractinglysexy circulating social media after biochemist Tim Hunt commented that “three things happen when [women] are in the lab…You fall in love with them, they fall in love with you and when you criticize them, they cry.” Women scientists have united, posting pictures of themselves performing their daily routines in the lab with cheeky responses to Hunt’s outrageous remarks.

What could be more noble than inspiring children to love science and have an inquisitive spirit from a young age? That isn’t distractingly sexy— It’s incredibly generous and important for further scientific advancement in the future. Rock on, female scientists, rock on.

Wood Artist Amber Jean

The women I meet and photograph always blow me away. It’s an extraordinary thing to drop into someone’s day-to-day life as an observer. Hearing about other’s personal experiences, struggles, and victories helps you grow and learn. That’s why I’m so exited to share a little about wood artist, Amber Jean with you.

Jaw dropping is the best way I can describe the winding road to Amber’s studio, perfectly perched on the peak of beautiful Montana mountainside. I’ve never seen such a workshop so unimaginably in tune with nature, a perfect representation of the artist herself. There’s even a zip-line off the back deck.

From giant sculptures made from entire trees to carvings that fit in your hand, the interplay between humans and nature is the driving force behind Amber’s work. She put herself through college, finding work in the great outdoors that fueled her passion for earth and art. Amber helped build the Continental Divide Trail, was part of the first all female crew at the Forest Service in Bozeman, fought forest fires in West Yellowstone, and was the first female wilderness ranger based out of the West Yellowstone District.

Spend a moment with Amber and you can feel the confidence she exudes, the kind of tenacity and determination that rubs off on company. I asked her what obstacles she faced as a woman in her field, and if that in turn affected that self-confidence. Her response was so eloquent and insightful, I want to share it with you:

“I have never been hung up on the statistics of how few women have done this or that. Sure there are more successful male artists than female artists and female sculptors are even more rare in the world of visual arts. Men tend to get paid more in the arts than women. I wasn’t raised to believe in equality; rather I was raised in an extremely old-fashioned conservative family where my mother didn’t even believe women should have been given the right to vote. My father and brothers laughed at me when I wanted to learn how to change the oil in my own car and they ignored my requests for tools at Christmas. My mother had hopes that I would be a cheerleader but my parents wouldn’t allow me to play sports since I was a girl. My parents offered to put my brothers through college but did not extend the same offer to their daughter. Driven by a desire to learn, I put myself through school. Fueled by passion to sculpt I talked my way into jobs requiring tools so that I could be paid to learn the skills I desired. In the beginning when I shopped for tools, salesmen assumed I was buying a present for a boyfriend. But I never wasted energy grumbling at, whining about or looking for prejudices. I just got to work, stayed curious, made lots of mistakes, and kept after it.” –Amber Jean

Responding to obstacles as challenges that propel you forward instead of immobilizing you with fear can take you a long way. Be creative and find a way into your dreams. Don’t be afraid to fail. Just take one step at a time. Before you know it, you’ll be able to take a look back and see how far you’ve come.

Amber is wearing: Carhartt Women’s Calumet V-Neck, Original Fit Canvas Crawford Dungaree, Sandstone Mock-Neck Sherpa-Lined Vest, & Quick Flex Gloves.

 

 

Arianne Perlinski in Carhartt Force

Arianne Perlinski has 8 horses. That’s a lot of work and a lot of fun, a lot of sweat and a lot of dirt. That’s why Carhartt Force™ makes sense for her. Its FastDry™ technology wicks away moisture, stains release from the material with the Stain Breaker™ technology, and it even fights odors. It’s a wonder-shirt!

Arianne’s workwear: Carhartt Women’s Force™ Performance Quarter-Zip & Relaxed-Fit Canvas Kane Dungaree

Certified Veterinary Technician at Montana State University, Arianne Perlinski

Caring for animals is a fulltime job. For Arianne Perlinski, it’s a lifestyle. She looks after 60+ head of horses, 125+ head of cows, 75 head of calves, 250+ head of rams and weekly monitors of an additional 180 head of cows and 180 head of calves and approximately 2000 head of ewes and lambs. It’s all in a day’s chores for a Certified Veterinary Technician at Montana State University. This hard working woman doesn’t stop there. Arianne is also on 2 national disaster veterinary teams (NVRT5-National Veterinary Response Team and VMAT5-Veterinary Medical Assistance Team) that are deployed on a national level in a state of emergency or disaster.

When you have a soft spot for animals as much as Arianne does, it can be expected that same affections carry over into off-the-clock hours as well. With 8 horses and 3 cats of her own, she’s always in the company of a four-legged friend. The animal-loving life requires a lot of hard work. Under the Big Sky of Montana, you’re in for some cold mornings, covered in mud.

Here are a few bits of advice from Arianne if you hope to follow similar footsteps:

• Dedication, pride and hard work pay off. The more you put into a hard day of work, the more you get out of it. There is nothing better than being able to sit back and watch a beautiful sunset after a long day of hard work…the sweat and dust will wash off, but the sense of pride and accomplishment will last a lifetime.
• Women have the ability to do anything…put your heart and soul into your work, dig in and get it done.
• Organization and planning ahead are huge, being able to shift from plan A to plan B without hesitation or frustration is even bigger. When working with livestock, you have to be able to adjust and shift to make things work. Livestock don’t read the rulebooks. They don’t work Monday-Friday 8-5.  It’s a 24 hour-7 days a week job. That can be the most frustrating, but yet the most rewarding job/lifestyle out there.
  Check out Arianne’s outfit: Carhartt Women’s Sandstone Mock-Neck Vest, Hamilton Flannel Shirt II, & Relaxed-Fit Canvas Kane Dungaree.