FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 6, 2005
For more information contact:

Wyoming Business Council Agribusiness Division
Office: 307.777.2807

Diversified Agricultural Tour to be held June 13-14

CODY – Wyoming Women in Ag and the Wyoming Business Council will host a Diversified Agricultural Bus Tour through the Big Horn Basin June 13-14.

Fluctuating agricultural commodity prices, increasing capital expenditures and other factors have led to an interest in agricultural diversification opportunities among traditional farmers and ranchers. The purpose of the tour is to educate participants on methods of diversification that have worked for many Wyoming farm and ranch operations.

The tour will highlight Wind River Mushrooms in Shoshoni, Churchill Farms in Powell and Heart Mountain Valley Ranch in Cody. Bus transportation to the tour is available from Casper and Shoshoni. In addition, participants may also join the tour in Powell.

Registration for participants joining the tour in Casper or Shoshoni is $55 and includes transportation, meals and lodging. Registration for participants joining the tour in Powell is $30 and includes lunch and transportation.

For more detailed information on the bus tour, call Sharon Cardwell at (307) 339-3040.

Featured Tour Stops:

• Wind River Mushrooms, Shoshoni - Wind River Mushrooms harvested their first crop of mushrooms in September 2004. They currently harvest over 60,000 pounds per week and ship their harvests to Colorado and California.
• Churchill Farms, Powell - This fourth generation farming operation was homesteaded in 1909 by Frederick Churchill, a vegetable farmer from Connecticut. Currently, they are the only commercial cabbage operation in Wyoming. In addition to cabbage, Churchill Farms grows malting barley, alfalfa seed and pinto beans.
• Heart Mountain Valley Ranch, Cody - Located near the east entrance of Yellowstone National Park, Heart Mountain Valley Ranch raises organic beef and organic alfalfa. Currently they are in the process of certifying another farm to be organic. Their beef is sold in bundles, quarters and halves and is shipped overnight across the U. S.

The mission of the Wyoming Business Council is to facilitate the economic growth of Wyoming. For more information, please visit the Web site at www.wyomingbusiness.org.

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