FOR RELEASE:
June 1, 2007
For more information contact:

Cindy Garretson-Weibel
Agribusiness Director
Wyoming Business Council
Phone: 307.777.6589

Tour to promote agricultural diversification slated for SE Wyoming

CHEYENNE – The Wyoming Women in Ag and Wyoming Business Council will co-sponsor a bus tour to explore diversified agricultural operations on June 20 in Southeast Wyoming.

The fifth annual event will feature tours of the Terry Bison Ranch; Lodgepole Oasis, a yak ranch; and Baer’s Jams. In addition to the tours, attendees will have the opportunity to listen to a value-added agriculture panel including speakers from Cheyenne Honey and Jessen Wheat.

“The purpose of the tour is to showcase the different ways agricultural producers have diversified their ranch and farm income,” said Cindy Garretson-Weibel, Agribusiness Division Director for the Wyoming Business Council.

A trip to the Terry Bison Ranch will headline the tour. The ranch consists of nearly 30,000 acres and is home to roughly 2,500 head of American Bison. The ranch is also home to horses, longhorn steers, ostriches, emus, chickens, turkeys, turkins, peacocks, donkeys, goats and beefalo.

The second stop includes a tour of Willis and Robbie Larson’s Lodgepole Oasis, a yak operation near Cheyenne. The yaks are raised for meat, which is low in saturated fat and very moist when cooked medium rare. Participants will have an opportunity to sample the yak meat.

The final stop includes a tour of the Baer family’s farm east of Cheyenne. The Baer’s are a Mennonite family who raise beef cattle, make hay, cultivate a large garden and cook jam. They make jams and jellies the old-fashioned way with hand-selected berries.

Before June 13, cost for the tour is $25 per person for those who wish to ride a bus from Casper to Cheyenne and $15 for those who will join the tour in Cheyenne. After June 13, the cost goes up to $35 per person from Casper and $25 per person in Cheyenne. Registration covers local transportation as well as refreshments and lunch.

For registration information, contact Cindy Garretson-Weibel at 307.777.6589.

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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