Honoring Leaders and Legacies: Doug Miyamoto and Juan Reyes tapped for 2025 Wyoming Ag Hall of Fame
The Wyoming Livestock Roundup is pleased to announce Juan Reyes of Wheatland and Doug Miyamoto of Cheyenne will join an elite list of previous honorees in the Wyoming Agriculture Hall of Fame (HOF) as the 2025 inductees.
The Wyoming Ag HOF has been honoring selfless agriculture leaders from across the Cowboy State since 1992. Reyes and Miyamoto will be recognized for their decades of service to the industry during the Wyoming Agriculture HOF Picnic, held at 5 p.m. on Aug. 13 at Riverside Park in Douglas.
“We’re honored to induct both Doug and Juan into the Wyoming Ag HOF,” states Wyoming Livestock Roundup Publisher Dennis Sun, an inaugural HOF inductee. “Each in their own capacity have served the ag community in Wyoming for many years and have helped ag in the state greatly. We thank them for all they have done.”
A passion for ag and the American dream
Amid a thick stack of letters submitted in support of Reyes’ nomination, a few themes ring clear – a rags to riches story of the American dream and a man with a fervent passion for the ag industry.
Reyes’ humble story begins in war-torn Cuba during the Communist takeover, where his parents quickly realized the future would be brighter for their children elsewhere. At the age of 11, Reyes boarded a boat with his two older sisters, a small leather suitcase and the clothes on his back to set off for a new life in America.
The three siblings lived in a refugee camp in Florida for roughly eight months before they were moved to Colfax, Wash., and four years later, their parents were able to leave Cuba and join them in the Pacific Northwest.
In high school, Reyes became interested in agriculture and befriended an area farmer who he worked for before enrolling at Eastern Washington State College.
He later landed in Laramie at the University of Wyoming (UW) with a dream of becoming a “real cowboy” in every sense of the word.
After meeting his wife Joni and graduating from UW, the two began purchasing horses, land and cattle, initially leasing the Milnor Ranch in Tie Siding before acquiring 400 irrigated acres in Platte County.
Through grit, tenacity and several savvy business decisions, their farming and ranching operation quickly began to grow, as did their family.
The two welcomed a daughter, Jennifer, and son, Jason, both of whom have their own respective families now and are actively involved in day-to-day operations imperative to the success of the ranch.
“Juan’s greatest success has been his life as a family man,” writes Shively Hardware President Joe Glode in a nomination letter. “He and his wife Joni built the ranch together. Now, they have their children working the ranch with them and their grandchildren beginning to work it too. It is this succession that will protect the future of the Wyoming agricultural way of life. Juan and Joni have not only survived the difficulties of Wyoming lifestyle, they have thrived in it.”
Today, the Reyes family’s renowned MR Angus Ranch is home to about 900 head of registered Angus cows and 100 head of commercial cows, as well as a 6,000- to 7,000-head capacity feedlot facility.
The ranch has a combined acreage of owned and leased rangeland, as well as corn, alfalfa and triticale grown under center pivot and flood irrigation systems.
For over 30 years, MR Angus Ranch has offered their top-of-the-line Angus genetics through an annual sale held annually on the last Monday of February. Each year, they market around 225 to 250 high-quality bulls. In 2024, their record-breaking sale saw all 226 bulls go for an average of $7,961 per head.
Many describe Reyes as a progressive individual who has always thought outside of the box, likely a contributing factor to his success in the industry.
“He is nationally known for his ability train and work cow dogs,” notes Dr. Doug Hixon, professor emeritus and former head of the UW Department of Animal Science. “In fact, he is able to manage his cattle operation with less manpower given his ability to effectively use cow dogs rather than hiring additional ranch hands.”
“In addition, he has implemented pulmonary arterial pressure testing to improve herd genetics, moved his calving from January to June to reduce losses due to cold winters, independently markets registered Angus bulls which sire cattle to withstand harsh Wyoming landscapes and the list goes on.” Hixon adds. “Juan has an innate ability to not only learn, but to teach others about innovative ways to improve agricultural operations. His knowledge and experience are invaluable.”
On top of his lifetime achievements and success in building a thriving multi-faceted operation, Reyes has successfully served and led numerous local, county, state and national organizations and boards. He has been appointed by and served as a trusted advisor to governors of both political parties and has been an avid supporter of youth in agriculture.
Reyes has served as a member of the Albany County Stockgrowers, Wheatland Irrigation District’s Board of Commissioners, UW Ag College Advisory Committee, Wyoming Stock Growers Association (WSGA), National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and American Angus Association.
He also served as president of the Wyoming Angus Association and American Amerifax Association, a founding member and president of the National Cattle Dog Association, a board member of the American Border Collie Association and was appointed to the Wyoming State Ag Board from 2003-11.
“Juan is a living example of the American Dream. He not only embraced this dream, he lived it and excelled at it,” state Reuben and Shelly Ritthaler. “He is an inspiration for anyone who wishes to pursue a dream in the ag field of America. It is a very difficult dream but not an impossible one, and Juan is proof.”
AgriBridge Chief Executive Officer Jason Fearneyhough comments, “Juan is a Wyoming treasure. He embodies the true Wyoming ranching spirit – fiercely independent, pragmatic, community minded, tough and kind. Beyond this, he has passed these qualities on to his family who are a living legacy to his living legend. I can think of no one who is more deserving of this honor than Juan.”
In acceptance of this honor, Reyes states, “My greatest honor is to be respected and liked by my peers. It is an honor to be considered for the Wyoming Ag HOF. Joni, myself and my family are blessed to have the support of so many friends and peers throughout the region. Without their support, none of our success would be possible. My life is the epitome of the American dream.”
A strong voice, a selfless advocate, a loyal friend
A UW graduate and iconic Wyoming ag leader, Doug Miyamoto has dedicated his entire professional career to serving Wyoming’s ag industry.
In his early career, Miyamoto worked as a research assistant in rangeland ecology at UW, a water rights analyst in the State Engineer’s Office and served as a U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service liaison to the Western Governors’ Association and the Wyoming Association of Conservation Districts.
He also served as deputy director of the Wyoming Department of Agriculture (WDA) and filled the role of head of the Wyoming Livestock Board before returning to WDA as the director where he has served since 2015.
He also served as the president of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) and hosted the annual NASDA meeting in Wyoming in 2023.
In this role at WDA, Miyamoto has overseen a wide array of diverse programs including natural resource and policy management, food safety inspections, technical services inspections and training and an analytical services laboratory in Laramie.
Additionally, Miyamoto has been a strong voice, a selfless advocate and a loyal friend of producers across the Cowboy State.
He has testified before Congress on numerous issues including public safety, exportation of ag products, invasive species management, habitat management for important species such as Greater sage grouse and a pilot program leveraging program dollars for use on federal lands.
In a nomination letter, Nevada Department of Agriculture Director J.J. Goicoechea notes Miyamoto’s devotion to Wyoming producers was never more apparent than in the early months of 2023.
“As I am sure many recall, the West was experiencing record-setting snow and cold temperatures that winter. The lack of feed resources and transportation issues associated with wind and snow were having devastating impacts on producers,” Goicoechea writes.
“Doug led a coalition of western state agriculture leaders in urging the Farm Service Agency to implement flexible and innovative solutions, delivering vital relief to not only Wyoming producers, but all producers across the storm-ravaged West. Because of his efforts, a disaster designation was granted for Wyoming and other western states and support was made available to struggling producers,” adds Goicoechea.
“Doug is personally committed to and invested in ensuring Wyoming agriculture continues to grow and is a prime example of the values benefitting not only agriculture but society as a whole,” he continues. “I, like so many others, always look to Doug on matters related to western lands, because we know he has producers’ best interest at heart and the knowledge that comes only from a lifetime of service to the ag industry.”
Wyoming Stock Growers Association Executive Vice President Jim Magagna writes, “Wyoming agriculture, from producer to consumer, has been well represented and served by Doug. Today he is deserving of the recognition that comes with being honored as a member of the Wyoming Agriculture HOF.”
In receiving the award Miyamoto humbly states, “It’s a great honor to be included in the Wyoming Agriculture HOF. I know almost all of the previous honorees, and it is an impressive list. To be fair, I think much of the credit I am given is attributable to the employees of the WDA. I’m fortunate to have been nominated by Jim Magagna and to receive this honor the same year as Juan Reyes. It’s more than I deserve.”
Hannah Bugas is the managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
