Feature
Yussy El-Hibri
“ Our journey into farming is truly one of coming full circle,” explains Yussy El-Hibri, co-owner of Black Barn Alpacas.
El-Hibri grew up in Maryland, enjoying farm life and riding horses, and her husband and co-owner, Travis, was raised in Wyoming, working with beef and dairy cattle as a homesteader’ s grandson. Both pursued careers in design and construction.
“ We always dreamed of returning to agriculture, creating something sustainable and meaningful for our family and community,”
Photo of Yussy El-Hibri. Courtesy of Black Barn Alpacas
El-Hibri said.
They didn’ t think of alpacas first, but the livestock is one of the most sustainable, and now Black Barn Alpacas has grown from a small herd of 20 to the largest alpaca farm in Maryland, and the top agritourism destination in the state, with 150 alpacas on 50-acres.
“ It’ s not just a farm,” El-Hibri noted.“ It’ s where sustainability meets community, and we’ re living out the values that inspired us to take this leap. It’ s been a journey of growth, challenges and immense gratitude.”
Her story hasn’ t always been easy with the organization, from relocating the entire farm from Texas to Maryland with 100 animals and more, to leaving behind a community, to hesitancy from others.
“ I have had people doubt me, question my expertise or underestimate me, sometimes because I am a woman, sometimes because I do not fit the typical image of a farmer,” El-Hibri explained.“ Those moments can be frustrating, but they have only made me stronger. I focus on what matters, the work itself.”
“ Being a woman in agriculture reminds me every day that leadership is not about gender; it is about passion, resilience and vision,” she continues.“ As an American with a cultured background, I bring a perspective shaped by tradition, hospitality and respect for the land and animals.”
Photo courtesy of Black Barn Alpacas
Donna Kilpatrick
Donna Kilpatrick, director of regeneration at Heifer Ranch in Perryville, Arkansas, hasn’ t always been invested in agriculture. It wasn’ t until she attended Warren Wilson College, a North Carolina liberal arts college, and began working on the college farm that her interest grew.
“ I found my passion,” Kilpatrick recalled.“ I found my tribe of people that I had been looking for my whole life.”
After college, she reflected that many people close to her pressured her to not enter the ag space, including her father, but it was her calling.
“ I chose to follow my heart and pursue farming when most people thought it was absolutely insane,” said Kilpatrick.
Now, with more than 25 years of experience, she specializes in pasture-based livestock production, ecosystem restoration and land stewardship for Heifer Ranch, a 1,200-acre working ranch that helps farmers implement regenerative practices.
“ Seeing an ecosystem, a landscape reverse from a desertified state and in a state of ill health to one that’ s resilient and abudant is really, really satfisfying,” she described.
To be successful, Kilpatrick advises anyone in the industry to have tough skin, utilize a supportive community and do what interests them.
“ If you’ re a farmer, you need to farm what you love,” she explained.“ Don’ t do cows because your dad did them, your grandpa did them. If you want to raise rabbits, raise rabbits. If that’ s what makes your heart sing, go for that.”
“ There’ s this sort of mentality that you have to be rough and tough to be a farmer, but that’ s not really true,” Kilpatrick continued.“ Agriculture is all about skill systems, timing, management. It ' s not about brute strength.”
10 | 800-247-2000 | 515-955-1600 | March 2026