Agriculture has been an anchor for Wyoming since its beginning.   A sixth-generation rancher is not uncommon.   Our Agriculture families value family, the land, the livestock, our neighbors, and the ability to grow food.   Ninety-eight percent of our nations farms and ranches are family owned.  That’s right 98 percent. Farmers and ranchers serve on local school boards, museum boards, historical societies, as county commissioners, and other civic organizations too numerous to mention.  They spend their money locally creating a ripple effect.  Implement dealers, veterinarians, grocery stores, feed stores, parts stores, and more all enjoy the money spent inside their doors.  Farmers and ranchers also pay property taxes to local governments generally on lands that generate more dollars in revenue than the amount of dollars spent on services to those lands. Food production is important to the security of our nation.  When we grow food in Wyoming and across the United States, we contribute to the ability to feed ourselves as a nation.  Additionally, much of Wyoming’s land is rugged country.  Cattle and sheep graze the land thus providing a food product as well as a fire management tool.  When land is grazed it not only regenerates for the next year; it also helps reduce fuel load reducing fire risk. Agriculture is the heart of Wyoming.  From the food we eat to the open spaces we enjoy to the economy to the people……Wyoming Needs Agriculture. By Todd Fornstrom, Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation President