ABC30 celebrates Black History Month with a look at how she's helping cultivate the next generation of ranchers.
"My name is Rizpah Bellard. I'm the only Black female cattle rancher in the state of California.
I'm the President of Nova Farming
I specialize in high quality beef and agriculture education.
It's important to educate students about the world of agriculture because we need to feed the world," says Bellard.
Delilah Pascual is a Kirk Elementary student who calls Bellard "Miss B." She practices roping on a green, plastic bull with horns.
"I was getting confused because it was going side-to-side," said Delilah.
Allison Andrade loves visiting Bellard's farm. She says, "Yeah, it's very good to come over here. I feel like It's very good and it helps like, it changes my mood."
Bellard visits Fresno Unified schools with her animals to teach kids about the importance of ranching and the ag industry.
Bellard says, "My dad and I are business partners, he's my mentor so everything he knows about the ag industry that he does know
I've learned and I've been able to instill that to my students through my company Nova Farming.
They are able to see sheep and learn about wool production, they're able to see a miniature horse and learn about the larger story of using horses to run cattle."
Bellard is fluent in Spanish.
Delilah says, "At home I only speak Spanish.It made me feel so happy because my grandparents don't know how to speak English
and they won't understand her but she can speak Spanish and they understand her."
Bellard adds," Mucho gente no saben que hablo Espanol porque soy Africana Americana pero cuando tengo coversacion con gente que hablan Espanol, es como surpresa. 'Ay,
la morena habla Espanol,' "Si, si!
Translation: "Many people here don't know I speak Spanish because I'm African American but when
I'm having a conversation with people who speak Spanish It's like a surprise.
Ay, the girl with dark skin speaks Spanish! Yes, Yes!"
Bellard says,"I'm a proud graduate of Cornell University. I graduated in 2015. I studied Biology and Society which is similar to
Public Health under the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Buying land wasn't easy for my father and mother when in the 80's and 90's when they
were just getting started because there was nobody willing to loan to them. The banks weren't willing to loan
the USDA wasn't willing to loan, the Farm Service Agency (the FSA) wasn't willing to loan and so a lot of Black
people in America in the South, the North and the West Coast don't have land."
According to the USDA there are 125,746 farmers and ranchers in California. Just 427 are Black.
Bellard says, "Negative connotation for Black people comes from agriculture comes from working the land.
But growing up in ag because my father saw something different
for me ag is freedom, for me the land is freedom.
I've always been around animals. I've always hiked. People love hiking now, don't take me on a hike.
But we always went to the lakes. We always went to the mountains. We always took our horses out
for a ride. So for me, agriculture is my childhood. Agriculture is freedom. Agriculture is who I am.
By the time your getting the meat your eating on your table, that took about 18 months to maybe even 30
months depending on the breed, depending on your region that you're in in the United States of America.
Before you waste beef, think about how long it took for that calf to go from zero months to 18 months, 20 months, 24 months to become the steak on your plate.
I've been able to amass in 2025 alone about 1.5 million dollars in sales of ground beef and carne asada and all of my product went to underserved communities in the central valley so it's spread around to about
ten food banks in the central valley and I was able to provide 2 pound packages of ground beef and carne asada
and people can't get enough,"
Kym Dildine, Co-CEO of Central California Food Bank says "Neighbors are really excited to receive her product. It's grown here locally. It's fresh and neighbors are just excited
to get protein which they tell us is really hard for them to fit into their budget."
Bellard was featured in a Got Milk? campaign and named a 2026 Trailblazer by Fresno's African American Historical and Cultural Museum.
"The accolades for me, they're great but my rewards are in seeing other people experience and receive the blessings
I have to give," says Bellard.