Miah Chalfant is a rancher, contemporary ledger artist, and passionate communicator of her community’s ways of life, both as a rancher and as an enrolled member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe.

Miah ranches with her family in southeast Montana, and is looking to study Agricultural Media and Communications as she heads off to college. Though still a young person herself, Miah is already supporting and educating the next generation of ranchers and farmers in her community, and she carries herself with a hopeful, determined attitude that is both refreshing and contagious. 

She spoke with Western Landowners Alliance’s Women in Ranching program director Amber Smith at Art of the Cowgirl in Bozeman, Montana.

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Topics Discussed

2:00 – Miah shares how she is the land as an enrolled member of the Norther Cheyenne Tribe

2:30 – Growing up ranching in Montana

3:00 – Miah talking about her contemporary ledger art, which is based around women in agriculture

3:30 – Empowering people through her art

3:50 – Miah talks about the colleges she’s looking at and her interests in studying agricultural communications

4:50 – Miah talks about what schools she is considering

5:45 – Favorite jobs to do on the ranch and Miah’s love of riding

6:35 – Hope and the young people in Miah’s community

7:45 – 10 year olds getting excited about agriculture

8:15 – Being a role model

8:25 – “Agriculture should be for everyone.”

9:00 – The importance of mentorship in agriculture

9:48 – “Our ranch is solely run by women and my Dad.”

10:00 – Miah talks about ranching with mostly women

10:42 – Miah talks about stewardship and caring for the land

Links from this episode

Little Pretty Woman Designs on Instagram – Miah’s art business’s instagram is just getting started

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Thank you to Molly Manthei, whose art is featured in the opening of the video. Check her out on Instagram!

On Land is a production of Western Landowners Alliance, a non-profit that advances policies and practices that sustain working lands, connected landscapes and native species. Learn more about WLA’s Women in Ranching program here.

Hosted by Amber Smith

Produced by Zach Altman

Theme music by Jason Shaw

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