Buffalo Gals Voices Offerings Spring/Summer 2022
Buffalo Gals Round-Up is a workshop series by women who do the work, for people who want to learn the secret hacks and how-to’s that our parents didn’t teach us. Join Buffalo Gals Carie Starr of Cherokee Valley Bison Ranch and Annie Warmke of Blue Rock Station to learn how to take life by the horns.
How It Works:
Workshops
The series is designed to develop stronger resiliency skills in times when Buffalo Gal skills are needed most. Each workshop includes some type of take away to provide hands-on opportunities to learn the skills.
The afternoons will be structured to provide an easy practical skill-building environment, and to increase confidence that participants will take home and use.
The overall goals are to create a sense of the “can-do” spirit rooted in Appalachia’s ancestry and found in Buffalo Gals (strong, smart and sturdy) plus work towards building a network of locally like-minded people. All participants will receive a certificate of completion.
Scheduled Workshops
Round Up Encampment: October 8th-9th
Join with other Buffalo Gals for an overnight adventure in an authentic teepee. Even if the Holiday Inn is your idea of roughing it, you will love sleeping in a genuine tee pee, cooking with cast iron, taking wild food walks, and embracing the wise woman in you.
What you’ll learn:
- How to create honoring ceremonies and rituals
- How to split wood with a wood splitter
- How to start a fire and maintain it (Keeper of the Hearth)
- How to cook outdoors with cast iron
- Identify basic wild food by taking a walk to gather food, and food prep
- Friendship the Buffalo Gal way by swapping and sharing the work load
- How to make the granola for breakfast
The weekend begins on Saturday with setup at 8 am. with camp set up following by an opening ceremony and lunch around noon.
Saturday volunteers: (we’ll need someone to coordinate greeting arrivals, someone to set up camp, someone to do meal prep, someone to instruct on how to start the fire, someone to tend the fire in the evening)
Saturday morning: opening ceremony
It’s time to discuss the project we hope to complete. We’ll have everything ready to move forward – we just need you to bring a good mood and a sense of adventure.
Wood Splitting with a splitter: Learn the secrets of how to use this piece of equipment safely, how to rent the equipment, and what safety equipment is needed.
Begin a special project – to be unveiled when you arrive. If you have carpentry tools you enjoy using or a tool belt, please feel free to bring them.
Just before lunch we’ll join in a walk in search of wild food that will contribute to making a fresh spring salad. Peaches, the teenage bison may come along just sample some of the things we find.
Saturday afternoon:
Continue working on our project and resting a bit perhaps.
When we finish our work we’re hoping everyone can help us answer “What’s for dinner?” by bringing food to share. We’ll put all of our offerings together to figure out what we’ll make on the fire. Learning the basics of cast iron cooking will help to add flavor to the food, and conversation around the camp fire.
Dinner: Fast food brought by women to contribute to the menu “What’s for dinner? fire-baked potatoes, toppings for the potatoes, hard boiled eggs, cole slaw and wild food salad with dressing, bread. We’ll discuss healthy fast food and how to make it happen in the everyday world.
Saturday evening: Fireside chat
Sunday
Breakfast: homemade granola, fresh fruit, bagels (toasted on a fire) coconut milk/almond milk
Sunday Morning: What would coming together be if there wasn’t a swap to go with it? Bring one, two or no more then three items of any shape or size to offer as part of a fun way to get a new dress, lamp or book.
Ceremony with closing – Buffalo Gals Round Up Swap
Take away snacks will be available for the ride home.
Accommodations:
The accommodations include a hefty air mattress, an indoor teepee, fire ring and a place to read and reflect. Outdoors includes a fire ring, fire wood and picnic tables. Register to attend by Oct 1st to guarantee shared space in a teepee.
If there is a need for electricity there will be a solar generator (no gas powered generators please). There will be coolers with ice for food preservation and any other things that need refrigeration. Supplies will be transported to the site by a tractor and wagon.
What to bring:
Pillow, sleeping bag, air mattress or cot (we can provide if needed), water bottle, bug spray/sun screen, food to contribute for Saturday evening’s “What’s for dinner?” meal, items for swap (anything you don’t want anymore), Flashlight/head lamp, roll of toilet paper, table service (plate, fork, knife, spoon, bowl), Name and address attached to phone to leave in a basket (no phone service), and any special food items you require.
Don’t forget to bring your good mood and sense of adventure, plus anything else that would make you feel comfortable (no live animals – this is a working farm).
No smoking, drinking or drugging (cussing is always acceptable – after all, we’re Buffalo Gals).
Everyone participating MUST be vaccinated. Our goal is to make sure we have fun with no one harmed in the process.
$150 includes teepee accommodation, meals and events/workshops
$125 includes meals and events/workshops (bring your own tent)
$150 includes meals and events/workshops (bring your own small camper)
Buffalo Gals Round Up Basic Carpentry and Electrical Workshop
September 10th Noon to 4 pm
The afternoon will be structured to provide an easy practical skill-building environment, and to increase confidence that participants will take home and use. The overall goals are to create a sense of the “can-do” spirit rooted in Appalachia and found in Buffalo Gals (strong, smart and sturdy) plus work towards building a network of locally like-minded people. All participants will receive a certificate of completion.
How it works:
The workshop begins with an outdoor lunch of a combination of wild and locally produced foods and a discussion of experiences about the skills taught in the program. People will be asked to bring something to share about their ancestors and their connections to the land.
- how to replace a cord on a lamp
- How to fix an outlet
- Replace the ends on an extension cord Learn the hacks for wire stripping electrical safety
- How to safely charge a battery
- How to safely jump start a tractor/truck
There will be a break for a short tour of the historic part of the farm to learn a few basics on wild food and medicinal plants and their uses.
Simple carpentry
- Safe use of circular saw, miter (chop) saw, jigsaw, hammer and staple gun (note nail guns are level two and we know from experience not to begin here)
- Basic secret carpentry hacks (measure once, cut twice, pre-drilling)
- How to use a Dremel
- Make a small sign out of wood with reused/repurposed materials
The closing will celebrate the afternoon’s time together, and provide opportunity to gather information about what participants found helpful and/or challenging. All participants will receive a certificate of completion and Ohio Winding Road handouts.
What to bring:
Sturdy close-toed shoes, eye protection (glasses will work), gloves, your own hammer and wire strippers if you have them, and your good mood. Also consider bringing a special small piece of wood or other reuse decorations you might add to the take home project.
No smoking, drinking or drugging (cussing is always is expected every once in awhile).
Everyone participating MUST be vaccinated. The goal is to make sure we have fun with no one harmed in the process.
Cost: $55 includes meal, instruction
Other Buffalo Gals Voices Services
Consulting Possibilities:
Carie Starr and Annie Warmke have built their businesses over the years from the ground up. Each brings their own unique special talents and skills to the table for mentoring and consulting. Their work includes online radio story telling with women in agriculture, webinars for the Rural Action’s The Business of Goat Herding, webinars and story telling interviews for Pennsylvania Women’s Agriculture Network plus mentoring for Women, Food and Agriculture Network.
For more information contact Annie Warmke annie@bluerockstaton.com or Carie Starr at cherokeevalleybison@yahoo.com.
Buffalo Gals’ (BG) Mission:
Buffalo Gals Voices is dedicated to promoting women in farming and agriculture by focusing on the bold steps necessary for learning the skills that create success in life, personally and professionally.
We want to have fun telling the stories of women who have learned to thrive and give back through technical assistance to the women and groups who lived the stories.
“Women are hard wired culturally and by nature to do things differently then men. We are taught to include others, nurture them to do their best, and to be frugal with resources. This is a cultural norm, but not necessarily who every woman turns out to be obviously.” Carie Starr, Cherokee Valley Bison Ranch and co-founder of Buffalo Gals Voices
“In the world of agriculture women in this generation of food producers do more with less, farm the land differently raising more crops on less land, and they have little or no debt. Yet women are still virtually invisible though.” Annie Warmke, Blue Rock Station/Warmke Farm and co-founder of Buffalo Gals Voices.
Online Podcast Series
With funding from the USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, in 2018 Rural Action worked with Annie Warmke of Blue Rock Station, Carie Starr of Cherokee Valley Bison Ranch, Women Grow Ohio, and the Appalachian Center for Economic Networks to utilize online learning tools, including webinars, online booklets, and podcasts. Have an idea for a new podcast or toolkit to help your farm or small business? Send us an email or give us a call to tell us more!
Webinar Series for Specialty Dairy Producers
Starting in July 2018, Rural Action’s Women Grow Ohio (WGO) project launched a series of weekly specialty dairy webinars aimed at providing technical assistance (led by women doing the work) to women farmers working in the specialty dairy sector. These free webinars have made learning more accessible to women farmers by reducing transportation and travel logistics and taking the training to them. All webinars are available on YouTube for viewing at times that are convenient for farmers. Visit www.acenetworks.org/category/events/ for a full list of the Specialty Dairy webinars and registration.