Honoring Inductees: Annual Wyoming Agriculture Hall of Fame Picnic celebrates agvocates

Individuals from across the state of Wyoming spent the evening of Aug. 17 at the Riverside Park in Douglas to celebrate the induction of Pat and Sharon O’Toole and the late Scott Keith into the Wyoming Agriculture Hall of Fame and to recognize Andrea Cooley as the Wyoming Ag in the Classroom (WAIC) Educator of the Year at the annual Wyoming Hall of Fame Picnic.  

The event was hosted by Farm Credit Services of America, Clark and Associates Land Brokers LLC, University of Wyoming (UW) College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources and the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. 

“We’re really honored to sponsor this event every year,” said Farm Credit Services of America Financial Services Officer Shane Thompson. “It really shines a light on some remarkable individuals and their contributions to our agriculture industry.”  

In addition to many producers, Wyoming agriculture personnel and families of the inductees, Gov. Mark Gordon and First Lady Jennie Gordon, State Conservationist Director Astrid Martinez, Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), UW Director of Extension Services Kelly Crane, UW College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources Dean Dr. Barbara Rasco and State Director for Sen. Cynthia Lummis Jackie King were in attendance.   

Wyoming Ag Hall of Fame inductees 

To kick off the event, Barrasso presented the Wyoming Agriculture Hall of Fame Inductees with their awards.  

Scott Keith served as a spokesperson for Wyoming agriculture and advocated for the ranching industry throughout his lifetime. Scott passed away in 2020, so his son Casey Keith accepted the award on his father’s behalf. 

“My dad’s goal throughout his entire life was to help promote agriculture in Wyoming and I think he did a very good job and I hope he is always remembered for what he has done,” said Casey. 

Honored next were Pat and Sharon O’Toole. The family operates Ladder Ranch in Carbon County and have been dedicated to representing the Western lifestyle and industry.

“This is such an honor for us,” said Pat. “I see a lot of our friends – guys that have helped us cowboy and work in the sheep industry. The only thing I really want to be in my life is a person of agriculture in Wyoming. It’s a great honor to be here and get this award. Thank you so much for the opportunity – we love being from Wyoming.”

WAIC Educator
of the Year 

Following the induction of these three individuals into the Wyoming Ag Hall of Fame, Gordon and the first lady recognized Worland West Side Elementary Fourth Grade Teacher Andrea Cooley as the 2022 WAIC Educator of the Year. 

“Andrea has inspired the movement to introduce ag in the classroom curriculum and her entire grade level team has used the Wyoming Stewardship Project curriculum extensively inside their classrooms,” shared First Lady Gordon. “Ms. Cooley has also been a driving force in creating a new school garden and partners with local services such as the Washington County Extension office, community garden and other businesses in the area.”  

“As we incorporate ag in the classroom resources, our students learn a lot about being a steward in Wyoming and how to take care of our resources,” shared Cooley. “Not just in agriculture, but also in the areas of energy, tourism and recreation. For those of you who support and give to this organization, we really appreciate it – they are phenomenal resources that will be adopted by other grade levels in our school soon.”

Brittany Gunn is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.