News Release
August 6, 2007

Riverton conference focuses on women, American Indians, small acreages

Topics of interest to women in agriculture, people new to small acreages and American Indian owner/managers are available at a living and working on the land conference Aug. 27-29 in Riverton.

Though the three groups are highlighted, everyone is welcome, said Cole Ehmke, agricultural entrepreneurship specialist with the University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service (UW CES), an organizer of the conference to be at the Riverton Holiday Inn and Convention Center.

Sessions at  the “Living & Working on the Land: The Building Blocks of Success” conference (blocksofsuccess.org) include water-wise landscaping, managing animals on small acreages, leaving a legacy for future generations, improving personal relationships, programs that manage risk, land management issues in Indian country, on-farm recreation and establishing proper windbreaks.

The three groups targeted for the information have characteristics distinct from the typical agricultural producer, said Ehmke. “The typical land manager profile in Wyoming – there’s much more diversity. We’re seeing an increase in the number of native producers, women managers and those new to small acreages. We hope to help these people gain a foothold.”

Keynote speakers include Joel Salatin (polyfacefarms.com), an alternative farmer in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, and Jolene Brown (JoleneBrown.com) of West Branch, Iowa, who will offer a humorous view of the world.

Concurrent session speakers are from Virginia, Arizona, Iowa and Colorado, and many are from the UW CES.

“We have some really excellent speakers,” said Ehmke. “Joel Salatin is well known among innovative and alternative producers. He speaks and writes widely.”

Keynote speakers will also present during the sessions.

“Many sessions will interest people new to small-acreage issues, such as weed, animal and pasture management,” he said. “Others are going to be small-business oriented, for example, obtaining funding for new ventures, strategic analysis and records management. And others will focus on agriculture in the Wind River Indian Reservation, such as the new Wind River Conservation District.”

UW CES is one of the sponsors along with the UW Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics in the College of Agriculture, Wyoming Business Council, Wyoming Women in Agriculture, Audubon Wyoming and the Small Acreage Issue Team.

Tours before and after the conference will highlight model acreages. One tour will show how small-acreage managers have improved their properties, and another will showcase operations that have developed innovative agri-businesses, such as Son Harvest Seasons of Riverton and nearby Raspberry deLight Farms of Shoshoni.

Registration covers food, materials and tours as well as lodging for out-of-town visitors. Schedules and tour information is available at blocksofsuccess.org. For more information, contact Ehmke at (307) 766-3782 or cehmke@uwyo.edu.

Audio File: Cole Ehmke talks about conference audience.

Contact: Robert Waggener, Editor
Phone: (307) 766-3571
E-mail: robertw@uwyo.edu