Askin shares love for agriculture

Agriculture has been a part of Faith Askin’s entire life. Growing up in Riverton, she spent many hours working on her aunt and uncle’s family ranch, working with cattle and horses, haying and helping with the many crops they raised.  

Faith participated in 4-H and FFA in Riverton and continued her membership in FFA at Wind River when she, her mom and her two sisters moved to Pavillion. 

At Wind River, Faith participated on the horse, meat and livestock judging teams as well as held multiple chapter offices. In 2011, she was elected to serve as the Wyoming FFA State Parliamentarian. 

Throughout high school and college, Faith ran and operated farming equipment for a custom haying business based in Pavillion. For seven years, she cut, baled and stacked hay, along with many other jobs. 

Faith attended Sheridan College to become an obstetrics nurse, but missed her involvement in agriculture. She transferred to Central Wyoming College, with plans to become an agriculture teacher. There, she met her husband Sage, while he was leasing a place on the Wind River. 

Today, Faith and Sage run Askin Land and Livestock, LLC in Lusk with their two children. 

Askin Land and Livestock, LLC

Within their operation, the Askins lease land to custom graze cattle and sheep and run their own herd of 3,000 hair sheep for regenerative grazing. Faith currently operates as the major support system for Askin Land and Livestock, taking care of herders and ensuring everybody has the resources needed to complete tasks. 

In the early stages of their business, Faith managed the majority of the cattle grazing on pivots. Grazing intensively for management, Faith built the temporary fencing and moved the cattle three to four times each week. She also worked at the Rancher’s Feed and Supply in Lusk to meet people in the community. 

The Askins use livestock, especially sheep, as a pasture management tool to help restore ecological function. They started out with a herd of around 100 head, and through trials and tribulations, their herd has grown into the herd of 3,000 they run today. 

Focus on youth in ag      

Faith and Sage spend a lot of time in their business focusing on advocating for agriculture, especially youth in agriculture. They participate in Ranching for Profit and are active with the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, where Faith serves as secretary on the Young Producer’s Committee. When she finds the time between working their business and taking care of kids, Faith is active with the Cattlewomen. 

In advocating for young producer involvement in the industry, Faith and Sage have served as panelists and guests at colleges in the region spreading word on how ranching as a young person is possible. In addition, they are working towards providing a program where recent college graduates can gain on-the-ground experience with grazing and different management tools, all while learning the ins and outs of running an agricultural business. 

“We want to advocate for young producers and share all of our knowledge,” says Faith. “One of our main goals is to help somebody get their start in agriculture. Ag is a great place with endless opportunity.”

Faith’s advice for young people involved in the industry is to have faith. She shares the importance of believing in the possibilities of working towards dreams and passions and being accepting of change to make that happen. 

Averi Hales is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.