Wyoming Ag Leadership Program Underway

I am excited that 13 Wyoming agricultural producers and agribusiness men and women were chosen from around the state to participate in Class 15 of the Wyoming Leadership Education and Development (L.E.A.D.) program.

Throughout the program, participants attend 10 educational seminars to enhance their leadership skills and understanding of all aspects of agriculture and policy making. Eight seminars take place in Wyoming, and one is held in Washington, D.C.  An international study seminar will be held near the end of the program. 

Wyoming L.E.A.D. Class 15 recently completed their first seminar in Ucross. I am very impressed with the participants in the program. Their diverse backgrounds and experiences will enhance their year-long experience. The skills, knowledge and personal growth they will gain through the L.E.A.D. program will be a great asset to Wyoming agriculture.      

Class 15 participants are listed below.

Trent Boner works on his family’s cattle and sheep ranch north of Douglas. They raise commercial cattle, registered Black Angus cattle, Rambouillet and Targhee sheep and grow hay. He and his wife Mariah live on the family ranch.

Louis Ferguson is vice president of Red Baldy Ranch, a hay farm southeast of Cheyenne. Utilizing his background in civil engineering, Louis is concentrating on increasing the hay production and developing additional markets for their hay.

Sara Fleenor is the Crook County 4-H educator for the University of Wyoming in Sundance where she works with kids and adult volunteers. She grew up on a cattle ranch near Hulett, where they raised show cattle.  Sara is married to Brad Hooper and has two children.

Jennie Gordon is a cow/calf producer from Buffalo, where the Merlin Ranch raises Angus and Angus-cross cattle. She and her husband Mark have four grown children. Jennie serves on the Wyoming Stock Growers Land Trust.

Tucker Hamilton recently moved home to the Hamilton family ranch near Osage, where he is interested in starting some new enterprises on the cattle ranch. He is active in the Weston County Farm Bureau and has recently been appointed as a county chair of the Young Farmer and Rancher Committee.

Jaynee Hanson is currently finishing her accounting education in Laramie. She is currently an accounting intern for Mountain West Farm Bureau and will move to Casper at the end of the year to begin work for an accounting firm. She grew up on a ranch in Lusk and is still very involved in the family cow/calf operations in Lusk and Kaycee.

Jill Logan is a farm and ranch estate planning attorney in Thermopolis. She also breeds and raises horses and runs her own cows in Hot Springs County. In addition, Jill works for the Arapahoe Ranch, managed by her husband Ransom and owned by the Northern Arapahoe Tribe. Jill and Ransom have two children.

Chance Marshall is an Extension educator for the University of Wyoming, where he specializes in livestock systems and works closely with cattle and sheep producers in five northwestern counties. He and his wife Karlee live in Lander. Chance is a 4-H contributor, livestock judging coach and member of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, Fremont County Predator Board and Fremont County Fair Livestock Committee.

Stirling Moore lives and works on her family’s ranch northwest of Douglas. The WI Moore Ranch is a cattle and sheep ranch, that raises commercial Angus cattle and Rambouillet sheep. Stirling is a member of the Wyoming CattleWomen, Wyoming Wool Growers Association and Women in Aviation.

Morgan Peden of Glendo is a ranch hand for Two Creek Land and Livestock, a commercial cow/calf operation near Douglas. She also uses her background in farm and ranch management to help on the Lewis Archie Ranch, her family’s ranch near Glendo. Morgan is a member of the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation.

Abby Shuler farms with her family near Powell. Shuler Farms is a cow/calf feeder, cattle operation and an irrigated farm that raises grain corn, silage corn, forage barley, malt barley and hay. Abby also leases a farm of her own.  She is a member of the Park County Farm Bureau and American Legion Auxiliary, and she volunteers with the Crisis Intervention Services.

Lacey Sloan is the manager for the Weston County Natural Resource District in Newcastle. She is married to Jonathan Sloan, and they raise chickens for meat and egg production.  Lacey is an active community member and serves as a board member of the Newcastle Tree Board, Newcastle Friends of the Fair and Newcastle Area Chamber of Commerce.

Marissa Taylor lives and works on her family’s cow/calf and custom grazing ranch near Lonetree, where they raise Angus cattle, meadow hay and run yearlings during the summer. Marissa and her husband Zac Schofield have two daughters. Taylor Ranches recently received a Wyoming Landowner of the Year Award from the Wyoming Game and Fish.

Wyoming L.E.A.D. was established in 1984, and 14 classes totaling 232 men and women have graduated from the program since its creation. The program is managed by the Wyoming Agricultural Leadership Council, a non-profit organization. 

For more information or to apply for the next class, contact me at 307-214-5080 or wylead@gmail.com.