Cooperative Extension Service Communications and Technology Department 3354 1000 E. University Ave. Laramie, WY 82071 (307) 766-6342 • fax (307) 766-3998 • www.uwyo.edu

 

For Immediate Release

 

 

Contact: Steven L. Miller, Senior Editor

Phone: (307) 766-6342

E-mail: slmiller@uwyo.edu

Archived News Site www.uwyo.edu/agadmin/news/news.htm

 

Date: July 24, 2006

Douglas workshop offers resources to small-acreage owners

            Small-acreage owners curious about issues unique to their lifestyle can hear from natural resource experts at a small-acreage, hands-on workshop in Douglas.

            The workshop is 6-9 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 1, in the Community Room in the basement of the Converse County Courthouse, 107 N. Center St.

            Topics are the water wise, xeriscaping method of landscaping and its advantages for the Wyoming climate, the proper installation, operation and maintenance of a sound septic system, and best methods for creating a healthy pasture and raising livestock successfully.

            The workshop is among a series held throughout the state by the University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service (UW CES) Small Acreage Issue Team.

            “Those who have attended have indicated in their evaluations they have gained a lot of skills and ideas to use on their properties,” said Tom Heald, a UW CES educator for Converse, Natrona and Niobrara counties, who will also be presenting.

            “Plus, they’ve had the opportunity to talk with experts in the field. We always ask small-acreage owners what they want to hear about, and these three topics keep coming up – landscaping, septic systems and grazing management.”

            Attendance has consistently been 40 to 50 at the small-acreage workshops, he said. “We’ve had excellent attendance from a variety of folks, and not all are small-acreage owners but large landowners as well.”

            Land parcels up to 49 acres are the fastest growing farm size in Wyoming, according to the 2002 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Census. Holdings with at least $1,000 in annual agricultural production are considered a farm by the USDA.

            Persons can register the night of the workshop or by phone or e-mail by contacting UW CES Small Acreage Issue Team interns Melissa Hemken or Caroline Clark at (307) 233-6755 or at intern@barnyardsnadbackyards.com. 

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