On Thursday, Feb. 26, the University of Wyoming College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources will facilitate a Ranch Management and Agricultural Leadership (RMAL) seminar about running a successful family-operated business.
The event, which is the second of UW’s 2026 RMAL series, will take place on Feb. 26 from 5 to 7 p.m. in room 1032 of UW’s agriculture building.
The seminar series allows students, entrepreneurs, and agricultural professionals to connect with each other and learn from experts in the industry. All sessions are free and open to the public.
The upcoming seminar, titled “Spinning a Business Out of a Hobby,” will be delivered by Ben Hostetler, operations manager of Mountain Meadow Wool (MMW) in Buffalo. MMW uses wool from U.S. producers to create high-quality yarn, blankets, and apparel.
Hostetler will share the story of how his mother’s knitting hobby has become the largest full-service wool mill in the West. Full-service mills take raw wool and transform it into finished products.
“This seminar should be of particular interest to anyone in the sheep, wool, or textile industries,” says Randall Violett, associate director of RMAL.
Community members can register for the event at https://bit.ly/rmal-mmw. Each session is livestreamed and recorded via Zoom for participants who cannot attend in person. Registered participants will receive a Zoom link for the session they signed up for.
Following the session on Feb. 26, UW will host two additional seminars this spring, available in person and via Zoom. Topics, speakers and dates are below. For more information, visit bit.ly/rmal-series.
Journaling the Outdoors: Wildlife Entrepreneurs — Ike Eastman, president and CEO of Eastmans’ Hunting Journal. UW agriculture building, March 26, 5-7 p.m.
Rocky Mountain Land and Resource Management Conference — University of Wyoming Gateway Center, Laramie. April 15, 8:15 a.m.-5 p.m.
Contact RMAL Associate Director Randall Violett at rviolett@uwyo.edu or (307) 766-4239 with questions.
