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The Magic of Plants: The Sheridan Food Forest hosts its second Northern Cheyenne Native Plant Traditional Uses & Plant Lore event
The Sheridan Food Forest recently hosted its second Northern Cheyenne Native Plant Traditional Uses & Plant Lore event, featuring Northern Cheyenne elder and ethnobotanist Linwood Tall Bull and his son, Randall Tall Bull. This event celebrated the multifaceted power of community green spaces, fostering connections through Indigenous knowledge, storytelling, and the shared appreciation of…
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Farming Against the Odds: Brian Berglund’s Journey of Adaptation and Innovation
There was already sweat building underneath the brim of Brian Berglund’s worn baseball cap at 8 A.M. Wyoming’s dry August heat shimmered off of Western Variety Farm’s fields and buildings. Brian was crouched over a row of lettuce, covering the crop with a shade net, which is a clever way of adapting cooler weather…
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Cross E Dairy and Freedom Foods | Diversifying the Market for Producers in Wyoming
Christine Hampshire used to spend her weekends centered around getting her dairy and beef products ready for the weekly farmers market. Each weekend she would be prepping products, loading milk and cream into her truck and driving out to the market, which was her primary source of income. Being a dairy farmer, this also…
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Jill Morrison | 30 Years of Protecting Wyoming’s Land, Water and Air
Jill Morrison grew up on her family’s farm in Western Nebraska. The farm fell victim to the 1980s’ farm crisis, forcing the family to sell off sections of the land, piece by piece. “My connection to the land comes from my heritage. I come from farmers and ranchers on both sides of my family,”…
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The Edible Prairie Project | Local Solutions for Communities Facing Food Insecurity
On a warm spring afternoon in Gillette, WY, patrons line up outside the boys and girls club to receive a basket full of fresh, locally grown produce, containing a variety of food including lettuce, radishes and local honey. These baskets are offered to the community at tiered pricing to fit each individual’s budget and…
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Urban Food Forests Provide Space for Community Connection, Education and Nourishment
The Sheridan Food Forest sits alongside Big Goose Creek, tucked into what was once a BMX Park in the community of Sheridan, Wyoming. The once weedy, hard packed lot is now filled with plants and trees native to Wyoming, and supplemented with fruit trees and common vegetables. The food forest seeks to provide food…
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Online Farmers Market Keeps Community Connected to Local Produce amidst the COVID Pandemic
Driving through Sheridan, Wyoming, in early November, most of the roadside fields seem to be retired for the year. Winter looms around the corner and Wyoming has already seen it’s first snow, browning the remaining crops and closing the growing season. Despite this natural cycle in the outdoor growing season, on the weekends, Sheridan…
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Grass King Cattle & Produce Company
In 2017, the U.S. Department of Agriculture found the average American farm operated at a net loss — requiring off-farm income and health insurance just to break even. Today, Jim and Karen Zezas are defying the odds through niche marketing and a diversified operation. Jim and Karen own and operate Grass King Cattle and…
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Frank Wallis: Food Freedom
Above: Frank Wallis at the Downtown Gillette Farmers’ Market, a cooperatively owned market in Gillette. Frank Wallis wants Wyoming to be an example to the country that food freedom works — for producers, consumers, and the economy. Standing at E Z Rocking Ranch in Gillette, Wyoming, Frank explained how the Wyoming Food Freedom Act…
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Christine Hampshire: The Wyoming Food Freedom Act and Raw Milk
Above: Christine Hampshire at Cross E Dairy. Christine runs Cross E Dairy, a raw milk operation, in Leiter, Wyoming on the family beef cow and calf ranch. Leiter, Wyoming is wide open country nestled along Clear Creek in eastern Sheridan County. Although Wyoming is not known as a major dairy producing state, the openness…