Within the University of Wyoming College of Agriculture, Life Sciences, and Natural Resources, extension specialists are hired to provide teaching, research, and extension expertise on campus and beyond. Currently, Whit Stewart, associate professor of animal science, serves Wyoming producers as the UW Extension sheep specialist. Meeting the needs of the entire state is a tall task for one man, and county extension educators have pitched in to support his work and Wyoming’s sheep industry.
Getting started
In 2023, the cohort of agriculture and natural resources (ANR) extension educators around the state had quite a few new faces. Several new educators, including the Johnson County educator, were interested in supporting Stewart’s work. These efforts reflected a return to the traditional extension model that utilizes close cooperation of community-based educators with on-campus experts to answer questions and provide educational programs.
The active partnership of Stewart, the ANR educators, and several graduate students in the Department of Animal Science in 2023 became known as the UW Extension Sheep Task Force. The purpose of this working group is to combine evidence-based research with on-the-ground implementation dedicated to serving Wyoming’s sheep ranchers.
Early projects
The first major effort of the UW Extension Sheep Task Force was an in-person gathering of extension educators and sheep producers in Laramie. Time was spent practicing evaluation of wool using sample fleeces from the UW collection and discussing nutrition and parasite management. A full day was dedicated to tours of the Centennial Livestock Auction in Fort Collins, Colorado, Double J Lamb Feeders in Ault, Colorado, and Colorado Lamb Processors in Brush, Colorado. This initial effort helped all participants gain perspective on the supply chain of Wyoming’s annual lamb crop.
A second early project was the reorganization of the UW Sheep Extension Program website to make educational resources more readily accessible. This website, which can be found at https://bit.ly/uwyo-sheep, now includes a section of producer resources broken out by topic. Under each subheading can be found extension articles, infographics, videos, formal peer-reviewed publications, and other industry informational tools.
Ongoing efforts
Stewart left on a sabbatical in New Zealand in October 2024, and the Sheep Task Force has carried on producing the monthly “SheepSense” applied research briefs. Recent editions have focused on quarantine protocols for ranch biosecurity, testing feed ahead of lambing season, mitigating market risk, and the characteristics and requirements of colostrum for newborn lambs. These are all available for viewing on the website given above; local UW Extension offices can print and mail documents directly, upon request.
The UW Extension Sheep Task Force conducted a survey of sheep producers at the Wyoming Wool Growers Association’s State Ram Sale in September 2024 and the Association’s winter meeting in December 2024. Local educators also distributed surveys at conferences and meetings around the state over the winter. Initial survey results indicated that predator management is an area of high priority around the state.
In response to these results, the Sheep Task Force planned a series of predator management talks delivered as webinars in February and March 2025.
On February 25, Derek Scasta, director of the Laramie Research and Extension Center, and his team members Kalli Koepke and Elias Hutchinson presented on their experiences using donkeys (burros) adopted from the Bureau of Land Management as guardians for the research sheep flocks.
On March 4, Sublette County rancher and author Cat Urbigkit presented on her experiences with the use and management of livestock guardian dogs.
On March 11, Chance Marshall, ANR educator from Fremont County, Rob Ziegler, UW livestock marketing and production specialist, and Alison Crane, executive director of the Wyoming Wool Growers Association, presented on the economic impact of predators on the state’s sheep industry and the local and state resources available.
Recordings of these presentations are available on the UW Extension YouTube channel and can be viewed at https://bit.ly/uwyo-stf-E1.
This summer, the UW Extension Sheep Task Force is excited to support the Wyoming Wool Growers Association at the 2025 Wyoming Sheep and Wool Festival, which will be held in Buffalo July 11–12. Don’t miss out on the educational speakers, sheep dog trials, lamb cooking demonstrations, wool and sheep-related products, a show of fine and fiber arts, free live music, and gathering with friends from across the region. For more information, visit www.wyomingsheepandwoolfestival.com.
Get in touch
The UW Extension Sheep Task Force is always seeking input from producers and anyone interested in supporting the lamb and wool industries in Wyoming. Contact Micah Most at the Johnson County extension office to discuss these programs in further detail and to be added to the group’s email list. Resources and other program information are also distributed on Facebook @uwsheep and on Instagram @wyowoolinitiative.
Thank you to all who have taken our surveys, attended our programs, and contributed so generously to the lamb-a-year program that helps support the education of the next generation of Wyoming’s sheep producers.
Micah Most is the agriculture and natural resources educator with University of Wyoming Extension serving Johnson County and north-central Wyoming. He serves on the UW Extension Sheep Task Force and can be reached at mmost@uwyo.edu or (307) 684-7522.
