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Last Updated on Saturday, 17 December 2011 08:39

Written by Christy Martinez

Casper – On Dec. 13 Wyoming Agriculture in the Classroom (WAIC) celebrated their 25-year anniversary with a banquet and recognition of past and present leaders.
    The banquet was held in conjunction with the Wyoming Stock Growers Association Winter Roundup. Along with recognition of those who have made WAIC a success, Governor Matt Mead was present to address the audience.
    “We recognize there is an intangible quality to ag and what it means in Wyoming. We are proudly the Cowboy State, and we recognize the value of ag, not just in terms of the economy, but the opportunity it provides so many families,” said Mead. “We can’t have the bucking bronc on our license plate and our quarter if we don’t have ag. We are proudly an ag state, and a Cowboy State.”
    Mead said that ranching gave him important lessons that work very well now that he’s in the Governor’s Office.
    “I could say that all I need to know I learned on the ranch,” he said. “On days when I wasn’t doing my best, my dad taught me about work ethic, and my mom did, as well. Ranch life provides great training in work ethic, and that’s important in public office.”
    He said ranch life also provides great training in perseverance, and one also learns in agriculture that Mother Nature can change plans.
    “The other aspect of ag that is important is this: in ag, when something goes wrong, you don’t spend all your time figuring out who to blame or how to spin it, you just go correct the problem,” said Mead. “We also learn in ag that there are times we have to spend more time with the sick or disabled. Those are all important ag lessons.”
    Although agriculture is the third largest industry in Wyoming, Mead says the first two, minerals and tourism, wouldn’t be possible without the ag industry.
    “We certainly have a strong mineral program, and we certainly are strong in tourism. The reason I say ag should get ‘best supporting actor’ is because so much of what we do could not be done without a strong ag presence.”
    He said tourism is a beneficiary of what ranches and farms do in Wyoming, as far as providing open space, clean air, clean water and wildlife, and that tourism also helps the mineral industry.
    “The fact of the matter is that if you take all the 11,000 farms and ranches out of Wyoming it would lessen greatly the opportunity for the mineral industry to do their development,” explained Mead. “When we talk about tourism and minerals, we have to recognize ag supports minerals and tourism in a very big way.”
    Mead said that, although energy is often referred to when speaking of national security, agriculture is also essential.
    “As important as energy is for security in this country, ag is even more important,” he stated. “If our country ever gets to a point where we can’t feed ourselves, that puts us at a disadvantage with regard to global politics. More important than energy is agriculture, and that’s why the sustainability of agriculture is so important to me.”
    He said that’s why programs like WAIC are so important – to ensure the future of American agriculture.
    “We need to make sure young people understand where food comes from – energy doesn’t come from a light switch, and food doesn’t come from the grocery store, and that is an important lesson if the next generation and the generations to follow will truly understand the value of ag. They need to know how it’s grown and where it comes from,” said the Governor.
    “In addition to people knowing where food comes from, we need young people to understand and have an appreciation for ag in the sense they want to be involved,” said Mead, taking education a step farther. “Ag has gotten much better and more sophisticated and cutting edge in what we do.”
    In support of agriculture in Wyoming, Mead said that, as he was going through his budget, he put in money for predator control and to address wolves.
    “I do that because I think there’s a return on investment,” he noted. “Not only in terms of dollars, but in terms of the quality of life that agriculture provides to those in the industry, but also for everybody in Wyoming and the quality of life and opportunity for those who come to Wyoming.”
    He said wolves are in a situation where there’s no question the species is fully recovered in all three states.
    “Even the Secretary of Interior says that, and we have worked for almost a year trying to come up with a plan to get wolves off the list and back to state management, and we’re progressing,” said Mead. “I’m very hopeful we’ll get something done, but it’s been a slow and difficult progress, and until it’s a done deal we can’t count our chickens. As we get closer, we get more letters, emails and complaints from people who are usually outside of Wyoming, and Salazar is getting more and more pressure, complaints and people who suggest there is no way any state should be allowed to treat wolves as a predator.”
    “Can we address this in a way that works when we know a species is more than recovered?” he asked. “If we can’t, what’s the point of the Endangered Species Act?”
    “Agriculture is critical for the identity, culture, quality of life and the future of this country,” said Mead. “For those of you who take the time and who work in agriculture day in and day out, and for those who represent 25 years of Agriculture in the Classroom, you’re on the right track. This education will make or break what we’ll be able to do in agriculture.”
    Christy Martinez is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

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Last Updated on Saturday, 03 December 2011 16:16

Written by Christy Martinez

Casper – On Dec. 13, Wyoming Agriculture in the Classroom (WAIC) will come together to remember and celebrate those who have helped the organization through the last 25 years.
    “It’s a chance to honor the history and tradition, and we’ve invited past board members and people who have been influential in making Ag in the Classroom what it is today,” says WAIC Executive Director Jessie Dafoe.
    In addition, Dafoe says the evening program, which begins at 6:30 p.m., will be a chance to be a part of the new kindergarten through 12th grade curriculum that WAIC is developing. The event will be a part of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association winter convention, and WAIC will have a few items in the evening’s auction to raise funds for the new curriculum development.
    “The key to the curriculum is to give kids in kindergarten through high school not just the knowledge base of agriculture in economics, world trade and other complex subjects, but also to take those skills and critically think with them to apply them to problems in the future, so that as new things pop up 30 years from now our future leaders can step in with the knowledge base and critical skills,” says WAIC board member Dennis Ellis.
    Dafoe says WAIC started with a three-year plan to develop Wyoming’s own K-12 curriculum.
    WAIC board president Mantha Phillips says that when they decided to develop the curriculum they didn’t know that at the national level Ag in the Classroom was thinking the same thing.
    “A professor at the University of Minnesota was on the very same track,” she says. “We’ll join efforts, and we’ll help them financially with some of our dollars to develop the framework for the nation on Ag in the Classroom.”
    “We’ll join with them and create an entire framework for our curriculum within one year and start field testing next fall,” says Dafoe. “We’re excited to streamline the process.”
    “While we want to have a Wyoming emphasis on everything we do in our state, this is a national and worldwide issue,” continues Dafoe. “This partnership will be beneficial to our students and to all other students, because Wyoming offers a lot of the topics and issues faced by the entire nation.”
    “Wyoming will be one of the first pilot states in the country for field testing on the framework of the new curriculum,” says Phillips, noting that a dozen years ago USDA developed curriculum with an ag emphasis, instead of going to a classroom based on what the teachers needed for education purposes. “We’ve turned it around with curriculum that meets all the standards and benchmarks that has an emphasis on agriculture.”
    Dafoe adds that almost all of the 50 states have adopted common core standards.
    “Teachers are looking for curriculum to put in the classrooms right away, and if we’re first to the gate, we can offer our curriculum to them,” she notes. “We’re trying to make sure we have all the common core standards and benchmarks met so our curriculum is an education tool that teachers want to use. It will have an education focus with an ag emphasis, so it’s not something additional that teachers have to do, but something they can use to supplement.”
    To hear about the past and present of WAIC, attend the 25th anniversary celebration, which has an open invitation. Anyone not registered for the WSGA convention is asked to RSVP to Dafoe for a head count at 307-421-4341 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
    Christy Martinez is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

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Last Updated on Tuesday, 06 December 2011 16:58

Written by Heather Hamilton

Riverton – The Wyoming Ag in the Classroom (WAIC) 2010 Natural Resource Discovery Rendezvous was June 21 through the 23 in Riverton. Part of the three-day long event was an all-day tour at the Jordan Ranch north of town.
Teachers from across the state gathered at the ranch for a hands-on education about ranching in the Bighorn Basin. Topics included grazing, weed and grass identification, water quality and testing, wildlife and animal welfare.
At the first tour stop Gene Jordan and son Tyler Jordan explained their grazing program and management practices they use both on private land and a grazing association Gene Jordan has managed since the 1980s. Participants dodged cactus to watch the men perform a plant density test, asking questions and visiting about the varieties of grass on the place, if there were snakes and how the grazing association lease worked.
“This year’s group is smaller but in some ways that’s a good thing,” commented WAIC education director Brooke Gerke. “The teachers are able to ask more questions and this group has been great about asking and getting involved during the sessions.”
“We sent our kids to Shoshoni, and you would be surprised what some of the teachers would promote. We just want to give teachers a firsthand experience of what it’s really like out here and what we go through. We have the opportunity to show them what we do, why we enjoy it and what we value,” says Gene Jordan of why he was more than happy to host this year’s WAIC tour.
At the second stop Lower Wind River Conservation District Coordinator Cathy Meyer explained water to participants while everyone stood on the banks of Muddy Creek.   
“Waters are classified in four classes in Wyoming: class one, two, three and four. Class one waters are the most pristine. Then, within each of the four classes there are designated uses. Those can include recreation, agriculture, scenic, industrial or fish and wildlife use.
“Muddy Creek is classified as a Class Two and is listed as a recreational and fishery water. It’s also one of three waters in our district that is listed as impaired. The U.S. Geological Survey took a one-time test in 2002 and found E. coli and that led to the creek being listed as impaired,” said Meyer.
She went on to explain the testing and methods she uses to sample the creek today in an effort to determine if the creek is actually impaired and if so how much of the it is a concern.
“Today when we test for E. coli we have to take at least five samples, taken within 24 hours of each and within 30 days. Then we calculate a geometric mean because bacteria grow in a logarithmic fashion. That process is necessary to get a representative sample of a body of water,” said Meyer.
Following her explanation Meyer showed participants how she collects samples. Teachers were given the opportunity to sample the water and use Meyer’s equipment to look for bugs along the shoreline. Gerke provided teachers with student activities on Wyoming drainage basins and watersheds.
“I’m from Virginia originally and have only been in Wyoming four years, so all of this stuff is new to me and it’s exciting to learn. Through increasing my understanding I’m improving my ability to teach students,” said Upton fourth grade teacher Mindy Blanac. “I will use a lot of this stuff in my classroom. As a fourth grade teacher I teach Wyoming history, so the more exposure I get the better. Actually meeting the people who work the land and work with water has been very beneficial.”
Gerke provided teachers with a variety of resources, contacts, student projects and other relevant information they will be able take back to their classrooms.
“Brooke does a phenomenal job of rounding up people that are appropriate for what we’re learning and then teaching. She’s a great resources for teachers in this state,” added Blanac.
Following a morning spent identifying grasses, learning about grazing practices and water management, participants gathered at the ranch headquarters for a home cooked lunch. Three generations of the Jordan family and some of their neighbors were on hand to cook, visit and help the guests in any way possible.
“I would certainly recommend this to other teachers. It’s been a great opportunity and I’ve enjoyed everything, “ said Blanac.
“We can let Jim Magagna fight the battles in the legislature, but we can get down to the ground floor and help our young people in the state of Wyoming have a more realistic idea of what it’s really like in agriculture. We think that’s part of the battle we can contribute to in a positive way. We’re just trying to help educate the students. In this instance it’s educating the teachers first then the students in hopes they will gain a greater understanding of agriculture,” said Gene Jordan.
For more information on WAIC call Brooke Gerke at 307-777-6618. Heather Hamilton is editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .