The Women Trying to Save the Meat Industry

An educational working ranch shows an example of a system that’s better for employees, animals, and the earth

Over the past few years, the focus of Heifer Ranch, which has long worked to lift people out of poverty, has shifted to creating a better meat industry. Photos: Heifer Ranch

Not far from Little Rock, Arkansas, lies a stunningly beautiful 1,200-acre ranch. Surrounded by water on three sides and filled with native grasses, the farm is home to thousands of chickens and turkeys, hundreds of sheep, cows and pigs, and six dogs. Overseeing it all is a group of women.

“We get asked all the time: Where are all the men?” said Donna Kilpatrick, who manages the property with her colleagues, Christine Hernandez and Kristen Crawley. To be fair, there is one man who works on Heifer Ranch, and, according to Kilpatrick, the intention has never been for the ranch staff and volunteers to be predominantly female. Over recent years, though, it’s mostly women who have been drawn to the mission-oriented educational ranch.

If the name Heifer sounds vaguely familiar, it’s because, yes, the farm is part of Heifer International. And yes, there is a ‘West Wing’ episode when President Barlet takes a photo with a goat from Heifer International.