Women in the Beef Community

Cowboys and Cattlemen aren't just men...there are plenty of women in Virginia that play an active role in getting beef from pasture to plate. In fact, according to Virginia Ag Census numbers, over 1,800 cattle farms are chiefly operated by women. Here, we asked a few of them about their roles in BEEF!


What I Am

Marnie Caldwell weighs in on what it's like to grow up with a farming Momma, and how it's made her the Agricultural woman she is today.

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Shutterstock Woman on Ranch


Lisa Chambers

Lisa didn't grow up on a farm, but she spends nearly every day marketing cattle at Rockingham Livestock. She's also the first woman representative on the Feeder (cattle) Council. 

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Karen Sanzo Team Beef Virginia

Karen Sanzo

Karen isn't involved in raising beef, but she represents the beef community as an active Team Beef member from Hampton, VA. She incorporates beef into her training program for races of over 50 miles!

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Rosalea Potter

Rosalea grew up on a beef cattle, sheep, and turkey farm in Augusta County, Virginia. Now she raises two daughters while managing a retail market with fresh beef from her family's branded beef program.

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Lynda Stuart

Lynda Stuart

Lynda grew up on a dairy farm in California, and married into the oldest beef cattle farm in America, Stuart Land & Cattle in Rosedale, VA, where she managed over 16,000 acres until retiring in 2018.

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Madison Slaven

Madison Slaven

Madison Slaven grew up on a beef farm in Weyers Cave where her passion for the industry led her to studying Animal Science at Virginia Tech to a career in the meat industry at Cargill Foods.

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