By
Kelsey BrunnerDecember 21, 2018 | updated 8 years ago
Morgan Atkinson, Julie Sullivan and Hana Fancher kneel alongside dog, Newt, next to a hay pile at San Juan Ranch near Moffat on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018. "You can’t ask land to be something that it’s not, you can’t ask animals to be something they’re not," said Sullivan. "The meadow wouldn’t pile itself. That’s a compromise we’ve made with the meadow to maintain forage quality for the animals." (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette) (Kelsey Brunner)
San Juan Ranch in southern Colorado has joined a broader movement to connect female ranchers, mentor young women and pioneer a new ethos behind ranching in the West.
Morgan Atkinson, Julie Sullivan and Hana Fancher kneel alongside dog, Newt, next to a hay pile at San Juan Ranch near Moffat on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018. “You can’t ask land to be something that it’s not, you can’t ask animals to be something they’re not,” said Sullivan. “The meadow wouldn’t pile itself. That’s a compromise we’ve made with the meadow to maintain forage quality for the animals.” (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette) (Kelsey Brunner)Ranch dog, Newt, faces off with some of the steers at San Juan Ranch near Moffat on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette) (Kelsey Brunner)A coyote jumps into one of the grass piles in the meadow at San Juan Ranch near Moffat on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. San Juan Ranch is “pro-predator,” but this particular coyote was getting braver and coming closer to the house. George and Julie were both getting worried about their dogs and cats and kept chasing him away. However, the ranch generally takes a stance on allowing the natural world to handle itself and believes that their meadow is healthier with its natural inhabitants. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette) (Kelsey Brunner)Julie Sullivan says hello to the ranch’s dogs as she leaves the house at San Juan Ranch near Moffat on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette) (Kelsey Brunner)Hana Francher walks two horses up the road to be brushed, saddled and ridden at San Juan Ranch near Moffat on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette) (Kelsey Brunner)at San Juan Ranch in Saguache on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette) (Kelsey Brunner)The team takes a short break from the frigid weather in their home at San Juan Ranch in Saguache on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette) (Kelsey Brunner)Julie Sullivan blows out her birthday candles during a party to celebrate her and the ending of Morgan Atkinson’s first year of her apprenticeship at San Juan Ranch in Saguache on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette) (Kelsey Brunner)George Whitten scratches Petunia’s rear end while visiting the mother herd at San Juan Ranch in Saguache on Monday, Nov. 12, 2018. Most of the ranch’s cows are timid but very curious of people. However, Petunia loves to be scratched and will always come and find them when they’re in the field. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette) (Kelsey Brunner)Morgan Atkinson throws hay for the cows at San Juan Ranch in Saguache on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018. Atkinson puts her truck in gear and allows it to roll while she leaves a trail of hay behind her. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette) (Kelsey Brunner)Steers eat their evening meal at San Juan Ranch near Moffat on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette) (Kelsey Brunner)Hana Francher pulls her hair back before moving the pasture’s fence line at San Juan Ranch near Moffat on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette) (Kelsey Brunner)Morgan Atkinson and George Whitten build a corral for their cows at San Juan Ranch in Saguache on Monday, Nov. 12, 2018. Julie expressed that at first George was hesitant to have women apprentices, because he couldn’t imagine that they would want to do the type of work that ranching requires. However, both of them now express that their women apprentices have always been the hardest working and the most open to asking questions and seeking to learn. Both George and Julie mentor their apprentices and teach them valuable skills that they can take with them to their next positions. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette) (Kelsey Brunner)Hana Francher climbs over the pasture fence after cracking the ice on the water trough at the farm in Saguache on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette) (Kelsey Brunner)Grey stands in the meadow at San Juan Ranch near Moffat on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette) (Kelsey Brunner)Morgan Atkinson corrals the four horses to the other side of the pasture at San Juan Ranch in Saguache on Monday, Nov. 12, 2018. Before apprenticing at a different ranch in New Mexico, Morgan didn’t have any experience with horsemanship but now finds it to be a great part of this career. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette) (Kelsey Brunner)Hana Fancher chips away the ice buildup from the bottom of Cody’s hooves at San Juan Ranch in Saguache on Monday, Nov. 12, 2018. Hana’s love for horses is what brought her to ranching. Both Julie and George expressed that when Hana is on horseback, she’s her happiest. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette) (Kelsey Brunner)Morgan Atkinson swings her saddle onto Grey’s back at San Juan Ranch near Moffat on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. Morgan and Hana took a ride one afternoon to give the horses some work and to enjoy themselves. Julie and George find it important to allow Hana to spend time riding, because it’s her favorite thing in the world to do. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette) (Kelsey Brunner)Hana Francher, left, and Morgan Atkinson take a late afternoon ride around San Juan Ranch near Moffat on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette) (Kelsey Brunner)Hana Francher’s dog Newt snuggles on Morgan Atkinson’s lap in the back of a pickup truck at San Juan Ranch near Moffat on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette) (Kelsey Brunner)Hana Fancher, left, and Morgan Atkinson talk while they walk through their mother herd at San Juan Ranch in Saguache on Monday, Nov. 12, 2018. Hana and Morgan share a home on the farm that George grew up on and they have become very close. Julie always jokes that they run a convent, because there is a limited opportunity for a social life for young people in the area. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette) (Kelsey Brunner)Julie Sullivan holds a fence line while adjusting the pasture boundaries at San Juan Ranch on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018. San Juan Ranch practices sustainable farming and moves the pasture line in sections every day to keep the meadow healthy. This method also forces the cows to eat all of the grass, not just their favorite varieties. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette) (Kelsey Brunner)Julie Sullivan shares a sweet moment with her senior dog Zeke outside their home at San Juan Ranch near Moffat in this October 2018 photo. (the gazette file photos)Hana Fancher, left, and Julie Sullivan ride in the cab of a truck with Newt in between while Zeke looks at home from the truck bed at San Juan Ranch near Moffat on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette) (Kelsey Brunner)Julie Sullivan pulls her clean laundry from the line before a snowstorm blows in at San Juan Ranch in Saguache on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018. For a decade, Julie worked and lived out of a tent. When she married George over 17 years ago, she brought some of her simple, environmentally conscious lifestyle with her and helped him transition his ranch to a sustainable practicing operation. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette) (Kelsey Brunner)A view from the living room of the old farmhouse in Saguache on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018.Morgan Atkinson, left, Julie Sullivan, Hana Fancher and George Whitten share a laugh over their homemade chili at San Juan Ranch near Moffat on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. The team try to share a meal together every day. George and Julie emphasize the importance of teaching their apprentices how to prepare their own food. The couple also feels that this gives them all a chance to spend time together off the ranch. “We have lunch together most days,” explained Morgan. “It’s important, taking the time to make a meal together. A point that Julie makes is that in ranching, because [it’s] not financially stable, something important is being able to cook for yourself and make your own meals. It’s an hour to the grocery store and there’s no takeout here…It’s also [important] as a team to take the time to make a meal and sit together.” (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette) (Kelsey Brunner)Cowboy hats hang on the wall of the old farmhouse in Saguache on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018.Hana Fancher, left, and Morgan Atkinson light candles on the homemade birthday carrot cake for Julie Sullivan at San Juan Ranch in Saguache on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018. Hana and Morgan spent weeks preparing a birthday party for Julie based on her wishes for a gathering of friends and that she didn’t have to help with any of it. The two young women baked her a cake, prepared a meal of chili and salad, organized all of the details and invitations and also had a mug made for her present with pictures of them on it. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette) (Kelsey Brunner)Hana Fancher, left, and Morgan Atkinson look over old images of George and Julie at the couple’s table at San Juan Ranch in Saguache on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018. Julie and George don’t have children together, although George has children from a previous relationship. The two share their life with their apprentices and have a close familial relationship with Hana and Morgan. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette) (Kelsey Brunner)Julie Sullivan, left, and George Whitten clean up the dishes after a shared lunch with their apprentices at San Juan Ranch near Moffat on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette) (Kelsey Brunner)Julie Sullivan comforts Hana Francher with a loving hug at San Juan Ranch in Saguache on Monday, Nov. 12, 2018. Hana’s pup Newt passed away after an accident with steers the week before and the whole ranch had been coping with the loss. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette) (Kelsey Brunner)
