Western Regional Course
with Kendra Young
The Western staff of the National Grazing Lands Coalition is implementing the “Working WITH the Land” regional course this summer! This course is scheduled to be held near Lander, Wyoming, on June 29 and 30, 2026. The course is designed to provide a broad overview of western grazing topics for producers, partners, or anyone looking to learn more about large-scale livestock production in the West. This workshop is designed to highlight the interconnectedness of livestock, the landscape, and the management of an operation, and how each of these three prongs influences and is influenced by the others.
The first day of the course will include presentations from several area professionals, and the second day will highlight these topics with more discussion during a field tour of The Nature Conservancy’s Red Canyon Ranch. Course presenters include the NRCS, University of Wyoming Extension, Fremont County FSA, Wyoming Game and Fish, Ceres Tag, and the Wyoming Wool Growers Association, covering topics such as the State of the Range, natural disasters, livestock technology, current programs with the FSA, collaborative conservation, ranching with wildlife, and other relevant updates. Additionally, the field tour on the second day of the course will also be superb. The Nature Conservancy’s Red Canyon Ranch is a vital testing ground for the best conservation grazing practices. This will allow producers to visually see and discuss up-and-coming grazing management practices and technologies following the workshop’s Day 1 informational presentations.
This will be a very exciting and informative course, because it won’t just provide basic grazing lands management and information, it will take a deep dive into regional and/or local factors influencing grazing lands and grazing livestock. It will provide course participants with up-to-date information to reflect on and take back to their operations. This workshop will also provide great networking opportunities for producers. The course is capped at 35 participants, so the smaller group size will provide more opportunities for candid discussion and questions. It will also provide course participants with the opportunity to interact with agency staff and other professional personnel in a less formal setting, fostering more individualized questions and networking opportunities. This course is also important because it highlights the interdependence of the entire ecosystem, including the ranching operation. The course was built to provide producers with current, relevant information on factors that can or will affect their operations.
Overall, NatGLC’s western regional course, “Working WITH the Land,” is a not-to-miss, regional grazing event of the season. The two-day agenda is jam-packed with educational presentations, discussions, and a field tour to provide agricultural producers with current information relevant to the Intermountain West and ranching.
