Ag recognition: UW honors alumni and supporters during Ag Appreciation weekend
The University of Wyoming (UW) College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources honored notable alumni and supporters at its annual Ag Appreciation Banquet Sept. 29.
Recipients included Legacy Award winner Ann Ramsay, in honor of her mother Elizabeth McCabe; Corporate Partner of the Year Farm Credit Services of America (FCSA); and Outstanding Alumni Craig Alford and Larry Prager.
Legacy Award
The Legacy Award recognizes someone whose financial support helps ensure all of UW’s programs grow and thrive. Ann Ramsay, in honor of Elizabeth McCabe, was the recipient of the 2022 Legacy Award.
McCabe, Ramsay’s mother, was a much-loved member of the Jackson Hole community. As a passionate supporter of 4-H, she photographed every Teton County Fair for more than four decades.
“My mother was just fabulous,” Ramsay said. “I don’t know how she even slept, she had a million interests, but her first interest, other than her family, was 4-H and making sure those young children had their pictures taken so they would know they were important.”
“Elizabeth had the ability to make kids feel they could do anything they put their heart to,” said UW Teton County Community Development Extension Educator Mary Martin. “Elizabeth never missed a fair. She made sure every kid at the fair had a picture – a memory and a story to tell, and that was huge in building community for our kids.”
In December 2020, Ramsay donated a property in Teton County to support UW Extension in her mother’s honor. The $1.8 million generated by the sale of the property created an endowment to help supplement the salaries of Extension employees and offset high living costs in the area.
“When you live in a county charging $5,000 for a two bedroom apartment, it’s tough to live in Jackson and do the work of an Extension educator,” Martin said. “Her gift has been truly transformational, especially for us in Teton County. Ann has continued the legacy of this incredible woman.”
Corporate Partner
of the Year
FCSA was the 2022 recipient of the Corporate Partner of the Year award.
The organization supports a wide variety of ag education and outreach programs in Wyoming, ranging from annual scholarships to a $1.5 million gift which helped launch UW’s Ranch Management and Agricultural Leadership (RMAL) program. Launched in 2022, the program connects university students, faculty and Extension personnel with producers and ranch managers across the state, creating opportunities for learning, networking and discussion.
UW Extension Associate Dean and Director and RMAL Program Interim Director Dr. Kelly Crane said FCSA supports UW, advances UW’s mission and expands UW’s impact.
“We are thankful for the financial gifts, but the relationship we have with this organization is equally important because we are both committed to serving agriculture, serving ag producers, meeting workforce needs in the industry and preparing our students to meet the challenges of ag,” Crane said.
“FCSA is one of those organizations that continually works with us to make sure our programs remain relevant, and that we prepare our students, our ag producers and the future workforce to meet the challenges out there,” he added. “This continued engagement is really important.”
FCSA Regional Vice President Rick Griffith said, “FCSA is honored to be recognized as the Corporate Partner of the Year. Supporting the university’s programs and outreach students is a part of our mission, it’s what we do.”
Griffith mentioned FCSA partners with UW in many ways, including: scholarship awards, active recruitment at UW career fairs, Ag Day BBQ sponsorship, participation on ag advisory boards, community involvement grants to assist with funding and ag related projects and a partnership with UW to create the RMAL program.
“We value our partnership with UW and look forward to continuing that relationship into the future,” he said.
In addition to these awards, Craig Alford and Larry Prager were recognized with the Outstanding Alumni Award during the banquet. These awards were featured in the Sept. 17 edition of the Roundup.
Kaitlyn Root is an editor for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
