Wyoming Agriculture in the Classroom prepares to celebrate 40 years
2025 has been a fruitful year for agriculture and agriculture education in Wyoming.
To start the year, I was asked to assist with the revamping of the agriculture education degree at the University of Wyoming (UW). I am proud of the group’s efforts, and I applaud the UW College of Education in evolving the degree due to the varied county and community-specific needs around Wyoming.
The degree now includes more practical animal science courses and other industry-related courses which will better prepare our ag teachers for their varied needs to lead high school students around this great state.
Additionally, I was lucky enough to be asked by Gov. Mark Gordon to join the Cowboy State Agricultural Initiative, joining a handful of fellow Wyomingites to develop a strategic plan to preserve and enhance Wyoming’s agriculture industry for current producers and generations to come.
As the executive director of Wyoming Agriculture in the Classroom (WAIC), one of the initiative’s pillars stands out the most – kindergarten through 12th grade education.
Individuals may have seen a questionnaire sent out on Dec. 1 with a deadline to be completed on Dec. 15. Within this questionnaire, kindergarten through 12th grade education was highlighted by asking if agriculture and natural resource education should be required.
This is a tough question as educators are required to do so much as is, but I firmly believe we can make this work in a manner that would fit in with teachers’ already busy schedules.
WAIC proudly supplies agriculture and natural resource elementary education in all 23 counties through our incredible Wyo Wonders curriculum. However, not every elementary teacher uses it, as Wyo Wonders is considered a supplementary curriculum. This means they voluntarily use it throughout the year when able.
This works beautifully now as in 2025 we have over 200 classrooms around the state where kids learn about our core heritage industries – agriculture, minerals and energy and outdoor recreation and tourism.
Our current success is due purely to educators who love and care about their students knowing where their food comes from, what our energy sources are, information on our vast public lands and wildlife and what jobs are available in different industries.
For every child in Wyoming to learn about agriculture and natural resources, we will need to require it at some level.
My dream is to have it required in a grade-level elementary school – just like Wyoming history in fourth grade – advance it into middle school and then create an avenue for high schoolers to take college-level courses they are passionate about that would expedite a pathway into a degree track at one of our state’s community colleges or at UW.
In my opinion, this would be a great way to help employment in our heritage industries.
A data point we have been working on in the Cowboy State Agricultural Initiative that I have found interesting is the average age of a producer in Wyoming is 58.5 years old.
Not a new question, but still a very relevant one – how do we get young producers into an operation with a shot at succession or how do we get more young producers into the door with a shot to survive?
We all know there are many intricate factors which fall under this question.
One is available land and leasable land. Reductions in federal animal unit months in the last 35-plus years are concerning.
Can we get back to utilizing more federal land for grazing? There is a lot to consider here.
Outside of fur trading, agriculture was one of the first industries in Wyoming, and to this day, the state remains a leader nationally due to our unique culture and heritage. Our state proudly leads the nation in average agriculture operation size for farms and ranches and annually provides more than $2.5 billion back to the state’s economy.
The Cowboy State didn’t just earn its nickname through rodeo – our state’s heritage and culture have been built through 135 years of livestock production and the agriculture industry. Why wouldn’t we want to educate our kids – and adults – about an industry of this magnitude?
As WAIC goes into its 40th year in 2026, I want to thank everyone who has supported this organization with their time, talent or treasure. Not many businesses survive this long, let alone a little ol’ nonprofit.
It takes a village to run a nonprofit, and we have an incredible village. Folks like you who believe in natural resource education are our lifeline in each community.
If you want to see Wyo Wonders utilized in your schools, let us know and let’s work together.
We work hard every day for our teachers and our children. As we hit the trail in 2026, I’d love to see you or hear from you.
For more information or to contact us, please visit wyaitc.org or wyowonders.org.
I hope Christmas allows you time with family and friends. I also hope winter brings us the moisture we need and maybe less of the “w” word. It’s already been a hectic December for us on the South Laramie Range.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Andrew Joannides is the executive director of WAIC. He can be reached at info@wyaitc.org or 307-369-1749.
