The Wyoming Department of Agriculture and the University of Wyoming Extension, in partnership with the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, are hosting a Wyoming Agricultural Stress Symposium on November 13 and 14, 2024 at the UW Ag Resource Center in Casper.
Agricultural stress continues to be a pressing issue for Wyoming’s producers. This past summer, in particular, was difficult with drought conditions and fires across the state. A group including WDA and UW Extension staff, producers, behavioral health providers, suicide prevention specialists and more have been working together since 2021 to share resources and brainstorm ideas for helping to address agricultural stress. The group decided to host an in-person meeting in November to bring more people together and share ideas after a particularly brutal summer.
The symposium will start at 1 on the 13th and at 8:00 am on the 14th. During the event, participants will have opportunities to learn about all of the resources available for farmers and ranchers in communities across the state, discuss how to implement new programming and responding to stressful events, attend a Naloxone training, and more.
Along with this, an optional COMET (Changing Out Mental and Emotional Trajectory) training will be held on November 14, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. COMET provides a natural way to talk with a friend, neighbor or an acquaintance about difficult topics.
The Agricultural Stress Symposium and COMET training are both free to any who are able to attend but attendees need to register for each event. The symposium and training will take place at the UW Ag Resource Center located at 2011 Fairgrounds Rd. in Casper WY.
The complete agenda and registration links can be viewed at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ocgE-HkI_JwRrce21r-7mN_6RUrboeVTDXXefJwEUW4/edit?usp=sharing.
For more information, contact Lucy Pauley at (307) 777-8788 or email lucy.pauley@wyo.gov.
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WDA, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union – 2024