Ag Citizens of the Year Honored

Larry Bourret, executive vice president of the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation and Frank Falen and Karen Budd-Falen, owners of Budd Falen Law, were honored as Outstanding Ag Citizens during an awards ceremony held Aug 17 in conjunction with the Wyoming State Fair.

Budd-Falen Law has been instrumental in protecting livestock permit renewals and made significant strides in protecting landowners from Endangered Species Act ramifications. The firm, since inception, has been instrumental in protecting the rights of ranchers in Wyoming and the West.

Bourret, a highly respected agricultural leader in the state, has been with the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation for 20 years. In that time he has been a voice for Wyoming agriculture on several issues affecting the industry. He has been extremely instrumental on the endangered species issues and has strived to keep taxes low for rural Wyoming.

Annually, the readers of Wyoming Livestock Roundup nominate members of the agricultural community. A panel of judges, who ultimately chose the award recipients, score the nomination forms. The award program has been ongoing for nearly ten years and focuses on honoring those people who make significant contributions to the industry.