NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 29, 2026--
From building ranching operations from the ground up to transforming family farms into thriving businesses and connecting new audiences with agriculture through social media, the women featured in Season 8 of FarmHER + RanchHER are making their mark on rural America.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261029945183/en/
The RFD-TV original series returns Thursday, October 29, at 8:30 p.m. ET, with host Kirbe Schnoor traveling across the American West to share the personal stories behind the women, families, and businesses helping shape today's agricultural landscape. Episodes will also be available to stream on RFDTV+.
This season takes viewers from the apple orchards of Washington and hazelnut farms of Oregon to cattle ranches and family farms throughout the West. Along the way, audiences will meet women who have built social media communities, launched innovative agricultural businesses, overcome personal challenges, and found their own paths in an industry deeply rooted in tradition.
"What I love most about FarmHER + RanchHER is that no two women or their stories are alike," said Kirbe Schnoor, host of FarmHER + RanchHER. "Some grew up knowing exactly what their future in agriculture would look like, while others found their way into it later in life. Getting to spend time with these women, hear their stories, and experience their everyday lives is what makes this show so special. I can't wait for viewers to meet them."
FarmHERs + RanchHERs featured in Season 8 include:
Dayla Ulrich | Parowan, Utah
Sweat Pea Farm and Orchard | Instagram: @sweetpeafarmandorchard
For Dayla Ulrich, farming is about more than what grows in the fields. It's about the relationships, community, and connections that make agricultural life meaningful.
Chelsey Butterfield | Hyrum, Utah
Golden Hour Ranch | Instagram: @goldenhouranch
First-generation rancher Chelsey Butterfield shares her journey of building a life in agriculture, navigating challenges, and finding purpose along the way while giving her online community a glimpse into the realities of ranch life.
Saydee Longhurst | Shelley, Idaho
Family Wheat & Hay Farm | Instagram: @saydeeofficial
Continuing generations of family farming, Saydee Longhurst helps carry forward her family's agricultural operation while using photography and social media to connect consumers with the people and work behind their food.
Kate Stephens | North Central Montana
Kate's Ag – Farm to Fashion | Instagram: @kates_ag
Fourth-generation wheat farmer and agricultural entrepreneur Kate Stephens uses social media and authentic storytelling to connect consumers with agriculture, challenge misconceptions, and share life on her family's Montana farm.
Amy Rhodes | Etna, Wyoming
Salt River Ranch | Instagram: @saltriver.ranch
First-generation rancher Amy Rhodes is creating her own future in agriculture through determination, hard work, and a willingness to forge a new path.
Brittany Johnson | Eastern Washington
Hillside Highland | Instagram: @hillsidehighland
Following the loss of her father, Brittany Johnson found a renewed sense of purpose in ranching and began building an agricultural legacy of her own.
Janie VanWinkle | Grand Junction, Colorado
VanWinkle Ranch | Facebook: Janie VanWinkle
Raised in a multigenerational ranching family, Janie VanWinkle offers a firsthand look at the responsibility, dedication, and everyday realities of sustaining a family ranch.
Alyssa Barsanti | Roaring Fork Valley, Colorado
Marigold Livestock Company
Founder of Marigold Livestock Company, first-generation rancher Alyssa Barsanti is building a sustainable livestock business focused on regenerative grazing, responsible land stewardship, and producing quality, pasture-raised meat.
Lilly Bauer | Alvadore, Oregon
Alvadore Dryer | Instagram: @_lilbitnuts
Growing up in Oregon's hazelnut industry gave Lilly Bauer a deep appreciation for family farming. Today, she's helping continue that legacy and the agricultural traditions behind it.
Venise Cunningham and Belinda Kelly | Buckley, Washington
Simple Goodness Sisters / Simple Goodness Cocktail Farm | Instagram: @simplegoodnesssisters
The entrepreneurial sisters behind Simple Goodness Sisters have transformed farm-grown fruits, herbs, and flowers into a thriving beverage business featuring handcrafted syrups and their Simple Goodness Soda Shop, bringing their garden-to-glass vision to customers beyond the farm.
Kait Thornton | Tonasket, Washington
Apple Girl Kait / Family Apple & Pear Orchard | Instagram: @applegirlkait
Known to her online community as "Apple Girl Kait," fourth-generation orchardist Kait Thornton is bringing a fresh perspective to her family's apple and pear operation while using social media to share the realities of farming and connect consumers with the people growing their food.
"One of the things I'm most proud of with FarmHER + RanchHER is that we're giving these women a national platform to share their stories," said Raquel Gottsch Koehler, Chief Marketing + Creative Officer and Co-Owner of Rural Media Group. "There are so many fascinating people and businesses throughout rural America that deserve more recognition. Whether these women are reaching new audiences through social media, creating businesses from what they grow and raise, or working to keep their family operations going for another generation, they're showing just how diverse and entrepreneurial agriculture is today. That's exactly the kind of storytelling we believe in at RFD-TV."
Season 8 of FarmHER + RanchHER premieres Thursday, October 29, at 8:30 p.m. ET on RFD-TV, with episodes also available to stream on RFDTV+. For more information about the series, visit RFDTV.com.
About Rural Media Group
Rural Media Group is an independent, family-owned media Company where rural stories live. The Company reaches more than 50 million households nationwide through its television, streaming, digital and audio platforms, including RFD-TV, RFDTV+ and Rural Radio on SiriusXM.
Rural Media Group announced a transition to new brand names on January 26, 2026. The Company is no longer transitioning to those brand names at this time.
Programming includes live news, market coverage and original shows rooted in agriculture, food, music, work and rural community life. The Company is headquartered in Nashville, with production studios on Music Row and at the Auction Barn Studio in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards.
FarmHER + RanchHER host Kirbe Schnoor
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 29, 2026--
Howard University and the development team of Lowe, Affinius Capital, FLGA and Davenport Group are proud to announce the groundbreaking of The Hazel, a 525,000-square-foot, 11-story multi-family building that will include 504 residential units (including 40 affordable units), approximately 15,000 square feet of retail space, and 246 below-grade parking spaces.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261029448914/en/
The Hazel, which was originally announced in 2022, is a major development for Howard University and a transformative project for the Duke District, a planned redevelopment of multiple Howard-owned parcels at the north end of Shaw, adjacent to Howard University’s main campus. The project is being developed on the former East Towers parking lot, located at the intersection of 8 th, 9 th, and W Streets NW. In recent years, Howard University has advanced several Duke District transactions to bring new housing along with a mix of retail, office, hotel and entertainment options to the upper Shaw neighborhood.
“With The Hazel, we are furthering our investment in the neighborhood we have long called home,” said Anthony Freeman, Vice President and Chief Real Estate Officer at Howard University. “This project will bring homes, neighborhood retail and public gathering space, while its internship program gives our students hands-on experience in real estate and development. We're excited for The Hazel to support the University’s long-term mission and build on the history and cultural life of the surrounding community.”
The development team has executed a long-term ground lease with Howard University for the 1.85-acre property. The Hazel is the centerpiece of the evolving Duke District, building on the neighborhood’s longstanding cultural and community life and its role as an economic, social and institutional center.
“The Hazel is a catalytic development that we believe will propel additional positive growth and change in this historic area. It provides a scale and connectivity in the Shaw neighborhood that will enhance the area’s function and appeal for the community, businesses, and Howard University,” said Lowe Executive Vice President Mark Rivers.
The Hazel will feature top of market finishes and amenities, with units ranging from studios to larger two-bedrooms with den floor plans. Among the community’s planned amenities is a club room, fitness center and rooftop patio, which will feature a partial glass-bottomed pool suspended at the 11 th floor between the east and west wings of the building over W Street.
“Howard University is one of the world's most important and best-in-class institutions of higher education. From the outset, this team has held that the built environment surrounding it should meet the same standard. We designed the building around the principle of gathering, and we believe it will be the true epicenter of the Duke District — something both Howard University and the Shaw community can be proud of for generations to come," said Fred Greene III, Managing Principal of FLGA.
A key project component is the creation of a 25-foot-wide public plaza spanning the full block of W Street from 8 th to 9 th Street, which will provide an activated gathering space, ample protected outdoor dining areas for the project’s retailers, and a connection between Howard University and the burgeoning north Shaw neighborhood. The project will also benefit from easy access to public transit with Metrorail and bus stops close to the property.
The building will be named The Hazel, in honor of Hazel Scott, the internationally acclaimed pianist, entertainer, and civil rights trailblazer whose legacy helped shape an important chapter in Washington’s cultural history. After Scott was barred from performing at Constitution Hall, local entrepreneur David Rosenberg developed an integrated Music Hall at Ninth and V Streets, which opened in 1947. The building is now home to the 9:30 Club, which moved there in 1996. Naming the building The Hazel honors Scott’s talent and courage and connects the project to the rich cultural history of the Shaw and U Street communities.
"My mother believed that talent should be recognized without barriers and that the arts have the power to bring people together across every line that divides us. It is deeply meaningful to see her legacy honored in the Shaw community, where her story helped inspire progress toward greater inclusion and opportunity,” said Adam Powell III, Hazel’s son. “The Hazel serves not only as a tribute to her accomplishments, but also as a reminder that courage and perseverance can help create lasting change for future generations.”
The development team is working with Howard University on several mission-oriented objectives related to the project. 30% of the project budget will be awarded to Certified Business Enterprise (CBE) firms. Additionally, the development team created CRE Access in 2022, an internship program that matches Howard University students with valuable internship opportunities across commercial real estate fields, including architecture, engineering, construction, finance, marketing, and property management. CRE Access has provided 46 internships since its inception.
Construction financing of $214.1 million was secured through a hybrid facility arranged by Barings and its affiliated C-PACE provider, CounterpointeSRE, which worked with the DC Green Bank to provide $90 million of C-PACE financing. The construction loan package was arranged by JLL. The project architect is HKS and the general contractor is Whiting-Turner.
“We are pleased to provide a tailored solution that brings together construction financing and C-PACE capital to support Howard University, The Hazel, and its experienced development team,” said Justin Preftakes, Head of Construction Lending at Barings, and Eric Alini, Chief Executive Officer of CounterpointeSRE, in a joint statement. “The project will create new housing and retail space while advancing energy efficiency and the continued growth of the Shaw community.”
“The Hazel is both honoring DC’s history and building for its future by investing in resilience and energy efficiency,” said Brandi Colander, CEO of DC Green Bank. “This building is another example of how C-PACE financing is adding homes, building future-ready infrastructure, and making dreams come true across the District, and DC Green Bank is proud to support this work.”
Construction of The Hazel is anticipated to be completed in the 4 th quarter of 2028.
About Lowe
Los Angeles-based Lowe, formerly known as Lowe Enterprises, is a leading national real estate investment, development and management firm. Over the past 54 years, it has developed, acquired or managed more than $38 billion of real estate assets nationwide as it pursued its mission to build value in real estate by creating innovative, lasting environments and meaningful experiences that connect people and place. Lowe currently has more than $2.6 billion in commercial real estate projects in the pipeline or under development. In addition to its Los Angeles headquarters, Lowe maintains regional offices in Southern California, Northern California, Charleston, Denver, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. Lowe’s hospitality subsidiary, CoralTree Hospitality, operates numerous hotel and resort properties across the US. Lowe’s commercial property operations subsidiary, Hospitality at Work®, brings hospitality inspired-property management service to office buildings nationwide. Lowe’s affordable housing subsidiary, Concord Communities, is actively developing and redeveloping quality affordable communities in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area. For more information visit www.Lowe-RE.com.
About Affinius
Affinius Capital® is an integrated institutional real estate investment firm focused on value creation and income generation, with $64 billion in assets under management. Over its 40-year history, the firm's diversified portfolio of equity and credit investments across North America and Europe has included more than $12 billion in U.S. multifamily acquisitions and developments representing approximately 33,000 units. For more information, visit www.affiniuscapital.com.
About FLGA
FLGA is a Washington, D.C.-based real estate development and advisory firm specializing in partnerships with education, religious, municipal and non-profit institutions to advance their business plan goals through the built environment.
Founded in 1995 by Fred Greene, a former Director of Planning for the District of Columbia, FLGA's professionals have developed or advised on approximately 5 million square feet of mixed-use space. The firm's active development portfolio includes more than 1.5 million square feet in the pipeline or under development.
The firm brings specialized capabilities across real estate strategy, planning, development management, acquisitions, entitlement, project design management and construction management.
For more information, visit www.flgallc.com.
About Davenport Group
Formed in 2020, Davenport is a boutique real estate and investment advisory firm focused on acquiring value-add and opportunistic real estate in and around the DC Metro area without limitation in multi-family, retail, office and industrial asset classes.
For more information, visit davenportdc.com.
About Howard University
Founded in 1867 in Washington, D.C., Howard University is a private, historically Black institution with an R1 research designation. Across 14 schools and colleges, Howard offers 140 degree programs spanning undergraduate education, graduate study and professional preparation. Its community advances scholarship, leadership and service, and its graduates have shaped government, science, business, the arts and other fields. For more information, visit howard.edu.
Howard University and the development team of Lowe, Affinius Capital, FLGA and Davenport Group announce the groundbreaking of The Hazel, a 525,000-square-foot, 11-story multi-family building that will include 504 residential units (including 40 affordable units), approximately 15,000 square feet of retail space, and 246 below-grade parking spaces. Photo: Lowe
