University of Wyoming Extension News

Monthly Archives: April 2012

Crook County 4-H educator begins duties

A 4-H youth educator began April 30 in the Crook County office of the University of Wyoming Extension.

Crook County native Sara Fleenor was a nine-year 4-H member in the county, said Susan James, UW Extension staff development and federal relations coordinator. Fleenor has an associate’s degree in general agriculture from Laramie County Community College, received a bachelor’s degree in agricultural communications in 2000 and in 2002 a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Wyoming.

She has worked in higher education since 2003 in several positions at Laramie County Community College. Her strong youth background will be an asset to the Crook County 4-H program, said James.

UW equine science students to teach horsemanship in Europe

Katelynn Ewing from Sidney, Nebraska, is one of four UW students who will teach horsemanship and equine science in Europe.

Cowgirls from the University of Wyoming will teach horsemanship to riders in Europe this summer.

The newly formed equine program in the Department of Animal Science received an American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) International Horsemanship Grant to teach horsemanship and equine science classes to AQHA members in Europe. UW’s application was selected from among some of the nation’s top equine science programs.

“This is quite a feat,” said Amy McLean, extension equine specialist. “We are honored to represent the largest single equine breed association in the world, not to mention they have entrusted us to represent them abroad.”

Continue reading →

UW research seeks genetic selection tool for feed efficiency in sheep

Assistant Professor Kristi Cammack

Research at the University of Wyoming to develop genetic selection tools to improve sheep efficiency could help producer profitability.

A four-year, $499,991 grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture will fund research into the differences in sheep rumen microbial populations.

“Producers need ways to improve profitability; one way to do this is to reduce feed costs,” said Kristi Cammack, an assistant professor in the Department of Animal Science in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.  “Actual measurement of feed efficiency requires collection of individual feed intake data, which is both expensive and time-consuming.”

Continue reading →

UW agricultural honor society honors top students, state veterinarian

From left, Assistant Professor Dannele Peck, Jim Logan, and former assistant state veterinarian Walt Cook.

Top University of Wyoming agricultural students were honored, and state veterinarian Jim Logan of Riverton received Gamma Sigma Delta’s Outstanding Agriculturalist Award at the organization’s annual meeting in Laramie April 14.

Gamma Sigma Delta is the international honor society of agriculture.

Receiving outstanding student awards, their hometowns and majors in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources were:

Outstanding Freshman Female – McKensie Harris, Laramie, animal and veterinary sciences (ANVS)

Continue reading →

UW Extension bulletin shows how to reclaim salt or sodium soils

Taking soil samples

How to reclaim salt- and sodium-affected soils is described in a new publication from the University of Wyoming Extension.

The publication, B-1231, is part of a series by extension and the Wyoming Reclamation and Restoration Center (WRRC) at the University of Wyoming describing how to successfully restore severely disturbed lands.

The bulletin describes saline and sodic soils, identifies how to prevent salt problems during reclamation and describes remediation with organic and chemical amendments.

“Reclaiming severely disturbed soils with elevated levels of salt, sodium or both is difficult,” state authors Jay Norton, extension soils specialist, and Calvin Strom, a research associate in the WRRC. “Undisturbed topsoil is often less than 3 inches thick, but soil salvage operations usually scrape soils to a standard 6-inch depth. This mixes surface soil material with material from deeper in the soil profile that may contain higher salt and/or sodium levels or other toxic materials that inhibit plant growth.”

The publication is available online. Go to http://www.uwyo.edu/ces/ and click on Publications on the left-hand side.  Click search bulletins and type B-1231 in the Publication Number field.