Meghan Lally and daughter Maeve bundle up on a cool day in June for their ride on “Chief” at Ladder Ranch in Wyoming.
On a typical day when businesswoman Meghan O’Toole Lally gets ready for work she leaves behind the business suit, dress shoes and commute. Instead Meghan dons jeans, chaps and a horse, which she uses for transportation around her workplace: more than 100,000 acres of land near Savery, Wyo., and the Colorado border.
After graduating from Colorado State University where she joined KD’s Phi Epsilon chapter, Meghan returned to Ladder Ranch, which has been in her family’s ownership since 1881. Ladder Ranch primarily is in the business of raising sheep, cattle and horses and the alfalfa and hay used to feed the livestock. In recent years, the ranch opened its gates to tourists eager to enjoy the area’s abundant fishing, hunting and natural beauty. Meghan is employed as ranch recreation and office manager.
Meghan also is one of the youngest members to serve on the Wyoming Board of Agriculture, and she is a member of the Little Snake River Conservation District and chairman of the Noyes Health Care Center Board for the local health care clinic.
In March, the Casper Star-Tribune named Meghan to its 2010 class of “20 under 40,” a group the newspaper says has “a record of achievement and the demonstrated potential to help lead Wyoming in the decades to come.” Also this year, True West Magazine named Meghan “Best Next Generation Rancher” in its compilation of the 2010 Best of the West.
In Meghan’s “20 under 40” profile, the Star-Tribune had the following to say about her selection: “The 31-year old Savery rancher understands government, the commodity markets, conservation issues, wildlife management and most everything about livestock operations on a working cattle ranch. But most of all, she understands the role land plays in Wyoming's heritage.”
In 1993, Ladder Ranch joined the Wyoming Coordinated Resource Management project and placed much of its land in conservation easements held by Wyoming’s Nature Conservancy and the Colorado Cattleman’s Land Trust, programs that ensure agricultural production and protect wildlife habitats for future generations. Ladder Ranch strives to provide a healthy environment for livestock, wildlife, watersheds and people.
"I love the land, livestock and wildlife ... and I want to preserve them for the future,” Meghan told the Star-Tribune. “We are stewards of the land, and I want to leave it in better condition for my children."
Meghan is mom to three children under the age of 5 who often ride along with her as she tends to her duties on the ranch, where she works side by side with her husband, Brian; her parents, Pat and Sharon O’Toole; and her grandfather, George Salisbury.
"I have a job which allows me to spend time with my family and to work outdoors with my children," Meghan said in the Star-Tribune. "I have the opportunity to share with them my values, my love of the land and my time. It's a privilege."
For more information about Ladder Ranch visit www.ladderranch.com.
