Jan 26, 2026
By Rick McNary
Amie Brunkow of Alta Vista doesn’t set out to shatter stereotypes on purpose, but she does.
“I grew up as a military brat and had never even been on a farm,” Amie says. “But in 2017, my husband at the time who had grown up on a hobby farm, purchased 160 acres and started our own farm. I loved the idea of growing all our own food whether it was plants or animals, so we had chickens, ducks, goats, lambs, beef and a garden. We were getting ready to take our cattle to a local locker for processing and that’s when I began to understand how difficult some processors were to work with.”
She holds a B.S in biochemistry from Washburn University and had intents of obtaining her Ph.D. in biochemistry at Kansas State University when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in her mid 20s.
“I had suspected something at the time, but the doctors on the military base said I was too young for breast cancer,” Amie says. “I then went to an off-site doctor and discovered it was already advanced.”
Amie began her battle with breast cancer that went in remission but was diagnosed with BIA-Lymphoma in 2018 and again underwent treatment until she was again in remission.
As any cancer survivor knows, remission does not mean the end. Due to the extensive and aggressive treatment required by the nature of her cancer, she continues to live with nerve damage and a chronic blood disorder; living with physical consequences that remain part of her daily life.
Beyond the physical, there is an emotional burden that many survivors carry quietly: persistent anxiety, fear of recurrence and the awareness that health is never guaranteed.
“Cancer permanently alters how a person views time, risk and possibility,” she says.
For her, that shift created a deep understanding that life is too short to accept “no” without question or to silence the dreams that feel impossible.
“I learned not to be afraid,” Amie says. “I go after the things I want with no fear of failing, which I need as a business owner.”
Her love of the science of meat production turned into a desire to own a small locker. The almost 75-year-old iconic Alta Vista Locker was for sale and she ran headlong into the stereotype she would soon shatter: Women don’t own meat lockers.
“When I called the realtor, he first asked who I worked for,” Amie chuckles. “The realtor replied, ‘But you’re a girl.’ I knew it was going to be uphill form there on out.”
Amie scheduled a walk through, looked at the books, then approached a local bank.
“Even with 40 percent down and a detailed business plan, they said I didn’t have the qualifications,” Amie says. “I asked if it was because I was a woman and the guy stammered about it being too risky. So, I went to another bank owned by a woman, and she said it was the best-looking business plan she had ever seen.
“Since I did not have a good experience with meat lockers on the farmer side, I purposed to create a culture in which the processor and farmer worked together.”
Amie’s commitment to providing the highest quality of processing as well as stellar customer service through education and communication has provided her business with continued success. She recently achieved USDA certification as a federally approved processing facility, no easy feat for anyone, but she was undaunted.
She’s also unique in that she live-streams her processing an animal. You can follow her “Butcher_with_the_Braid” social media at Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and go to her website here.
This quote on her Facebook page captures her spirit and spunk:
Mother told her to find a knight.
Instead, she forged a sword and lived peacefully among the knights.
Note: Amie is part of our celebration of the Year of Women Farmers and Ranchers, 2026.