Wyoming Sheep and Wool Festival: Annual gathering offers inside look at sheep industry
Sheep producers and wool enthusiasts from all corners of the Cowboy State came together for the third annual Wyoming Sheep and Wool Festival, held July 11-13 at the Johnson County Fairgrounds in Buffalo.
The Wyoming Sheep and Wool Festival is a project of the Wyoming Wool Growers Association (WWGA) and the Wyoming SHEEP Foundation.
“The Wyoming Sheep and Wool Festival is a culminating vision Marie McClaren, Cat Urbigkit and I had in 2022,” stated WWGA Executive Director Alison Crane. “We knew it was an achievable dream that would be a rewarding collaborative event with partners from across the state and a true celebration of the sheep and wool industries.”
2025 highlights
This year’s festival gave attendees an inside look at one of Wyoming’s foundational agricultural industries through grazing tours, educational workshops, live demonstrations and speakers. The festival also included a wide variety of vendors showcasing Wyoming’s finest sheep and wool products as well as an art show and an awards presentation.
Crane says this year’s festival was a great success.
“One of my personal missions was to recreate the old sheepherder parties we all hear about and wish we had been a part of,” Crane said. “Folks always describe these as not only a great time, but a time for celebrating one another, the past and things to come.”
“I had some members come up to me on Saturday night and say, ‘This is how it used to be.’ That was my golden ticket, telling me we are going in the right direction with this event. It was a true celebration of each part of the industry,” Crane concluded.
First day highlights
The first morning began with a sustainable sheep grazing workshop hosted by WWGA and the National Grazing Lands Coalition. It took place throughout the Bighorn National Forest and covered a series of relevant topics including post-fire grazing and predator management practices, as well as the benefits of using sheep for invasive plant management.
“Folks from Wyoming, Nevada, Missouri, Colorado and more gathered to learn about depredation, grazing management, invasive plant species and management tools and the challenges that come with each of those,” Crane highlighted.
In the afternoon, the University of Wyoming (UW) Extension office hosted an educational “Train the Trainer” demonstration detailing the basics of competitive wool evaluation.
The day concluded with a reception for the Art and Woolcraft Show – a weekend-long display of wool and sheep-centric art from across Wyoming.
The reception also included a multigenerational sheepherder panel where local sheepherders offered unique insights on the past, present and future of Wyoming’s sheep industry.
Second day highlights
Saturday’s schedule was jam-packed with a vendor fair featuring wool and sheep products from across Wyoming and several live woolcraft demonstrations. A presentation on the history of sheepherding in Johnson County also took place in the afternoon.
WWGA held their annual summer meeting, during which the board reflected upon the past year and held elections.
Mike Curuchet is the immediate past president. Gwen Geis will serve as president, with Shaun Sims as vice president, and Megan O’Toole Lally will serve as treasurer.
The region one director is Regan Smith, the region two director is John Iberlin, the region three director is Marie McClaren and the region four director is Hardy Musselman.
Sheepherders Come Bye Dinner and Awards
The day concluded with the Sheepherders Come Bye Dinner and an awards presentation. The dinner menu featured lamb from the Lamb-A-Year Program prepared by the UW Meat Science group led by UW Meat Scientist Cody Gifford.
Johnson County native Gov. Mark Gordon was present at the dinner, along with several industry stakeholders.
“It is wonderful to see so many people from my county,” Gordon remarked. “It is an honor being here this evening, and if it weren’t for the families here in this room, this state would not be what it is.”
WWGA President Gwen Geis then shifted the conversation to the awards portion of the evening.
The Lamb-A-Year awards for the top performers were presented by Interim UW Extension Sheep Specialist Dylan Laverell.
First, the Legacy Award went to Brad and Ryan Boner of M Diamond Angus. This award recognizes the donor with the greatest financial impact on the program, measured by pounds of lamb.
Second, the highest growth performances measured by average daily gain and highest feed efficiency were both awarded to Regan and Wendy Smith of Smith Sheep n’ Stuff.
The Carcass Merit Award, which is evaluated based on dressing percentage, loin eye area, yield grade and quality grade measured in pounds, was given to Trent Boner of TJ Livestock.
The most consistent head of lambs with the least amount of variability was awarded to the Marton Ranch.
Finally, the Top Hand Award was awarded to UW Laramie Research and Extension Center Sheep Unit Manager Kalli Koepke for her assistance with many aspects of the Lamb-A-Year program, from intake of animals to daily care.
Crane then presented WWGA’s annual awards – The Harold Josendal Patron Award, the Compadre Award, the Amigo Award and the Portavoz Award.
The Portavoz Award was presented to Russell Nemetz and Lane Nordlund of Western Ag Network in recognition of the broadcast company’s outstanding coverage of the sheep industry.
Mountain Meadow Wool Mill earned the Compadre Award, which recognizes industry contributions from a professional in a field related to sheep production who demonstrates significant contributions to the industry’s organizations and producers above and beyond what is asked of them.
Karen and Ben Hostetler, as well as many mill employees, were present to accept the award.
The Amigo Award was presented to the U.S. Department of Agricultureʼs Animal and Plant Health Inspection Servicesʼ (APHIS) Wildlife Services (WS) of Wyoming in recognition of outstanding achievements in innovative management of natural resources, as well as a strong commitment to teaching and educating producers.
APHIS WS Biologist Jaren Zierenberg and APHIS WS District Supervisor Mike Burrell were on site to accept the award.
Two recipients were honored with the Harold Josendal Patron Award this year – Cat Urbigkit and the Johnson County Wool Growers – in recognition of their substantial contributions to the Wyoming sheep industry, WWGA and other volunteer efforts.
Peter John Camino accepted the award on behalf of the Johnson County Wool Growers, recognizing fellow Johnson County producers in the crowd.
Urbigkit was unable to attend the dinner but WWGA Immediate Past President Mike Curuchet spoke of her saying, “Anyone who knows Cat knows she is a formidable adversary, but she is also a very formidable advocate. She puts her whole heart into everything she does, and she fights with everything she’s got.”
The evening concluded with a concert by Tris Munsick and the Innocents.
The 2026 Wyoming Sheep and Wool Festival is slated to take place in Powell. For more information and to get involved, visit wyomingsheepandwoolfestival.com.
Grace Skavdahl is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
