UW to Host Ranch Management and Agricultural Leadership Symposium in Laramie April 17

For those interested in learning about leadership strategies and high-altitude ranching, the University of Wyoming Ranch Management and Agricultural Leadership (RMAL) Program will host a symposium in Laramie Thursday, April 17.

The symposium, titled "Ranching Stewardship at High Elevation: Opportunities and Challenges," will take place at the Laramie Research and Extension Center (LREC) Cliff and Martha Hansen Teaching Arena, located at 470 Highway 230. Presentations will run from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. People also can attend the presentations via Zoom.

"Participants will get a broad perspective on the opportunities and challenges ranches in these environments face and how information can inform decision-making, from livestock selection to optimizing grazing strategies to capitalizing on emerging opportunities," LREC Director Derek Scasta says.

The symposium will feature more than a dozen speakers experienced with the challenges ranchers face at high altitudes.

Scasta and other LREC employees will give an overview of the center's facilities and events, including the annual lamb-a-year program and high-altitude bull test and sale.

UW faculty members, staff members and graduate students will address emerging issues and opportunities for high-altitude ranchers in Wyoming. Topics include marketing, cattle pulmonary hypertension and livestock methane emissions. LREC equine manager Elias Hutchinson also will lead a demonstration of feeding livestock using draft horses.

Monte Reed, a Wyoming sheep and cattle rancher, will discuss his experience using virtual fence collars for cattle.

Community members can register for the symposium here. UW and community college students can register by emailing Randall Violett, associate director of the RMAL program, at rviolett@uwyo.edu.

For community members and students not attending the program as part of a course, the cost is $25. The session includes a free meal for registered participants who attend the symposium in person.

The symposium is the final event in the 2025 RMAL seminar series. To learn more about the annual series, go here.

For more information, call Violett at (307) 766-4239 or email rviolett@uwyo.edu.

About the UW College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources

UW's College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources serves students and communities through innovative scholarship, research and outreach. Guided by the land-grant principles of discovery and experiential learning, the college facilitates meaningful educational opportunities in the classroom, laboratory and community.

The college offers degrees in agricultural and applied economics, animal science, botany, ecosystem science and management, family and consumer sciences, molecular biology, plant sciences, veterinary sciences, and zoology and physiology; and also offers degree programs in agricultural communications, microbiology, and ranch management and agricultural leadership.

For more information, call (307) 766-4133 or visit www.uwyo.edu/uwag.