Behind the Scenes: My Journey to the Wyoming Cattle Industry Convention
June 3, 2024
The excitement built as we geared up for the Wyoming Cattle Industry Convention and Trade Show. Today we packed and finalized preparations before we left for Douglas, ensuring everything is ready to go. My morning began with scheduling Facebook and Instagram posts—thanks to technology, I won’t have to wake up at 5 a.m. just to update our social media! It’s incredible how much I continue to learn about these platforms, even though I’ve grown up with them.
After scheduling the posts, I took a pleasant walk in the warm sunshine to pick up the printed brochures from the local print shop. There’s something immensely satisfying about seeing your hard work in physical form on glossy paper. The afternoon was dedicated to working with the legendary Jim Magana on assembling name badges for pre-registered attendees. We were a well-oiled machine, placing names into plastic sleeves with clips, adding drink tickets, and organizing everything alphabetically. Jim’s memory is astounding—he knows every past and present president and officer of the organization by heart!
To wrap up the day, I created a sleek online script schedule for digital access by members, ensuring no one misses out if they lose their physical program.
June 4, 2024
I started my day with loading up my pickup truck with coolers, soda, and water for the convention. After ensuring all our equipment was packed and ready, we set off for Douglas, Wyoming. The two-hour drive was filled with podcasts and country music. To my amusement, despite leaving earlier, Jim Magana had already arrived at the fairgrounds by the time I got there!
We spent the afternoon touring the fairgrounds, setting up the registration booth, and ensuring everything was ready for the event. I also did a lunch run for the office staff and the owners of Bootique, who were setting up their jewelry booth. Olivia and I organized the trade show and prepared for the dinner sponsored by MultiMin. The evening was perfect—a steak dinner under the setting sun, chatting with my boss and coworkers.
June 5, 2024
Today marked the first day of the Wyoming Cattle Industry Convention & Trade Show. I arrived at 8 a.m., ready for a full day. The schedule included the Wyoming CattleWomen Business meeting, Young Producers Assembly, Wyoming Pioneer Museum Tour, and the Opening Reception. My morning was spent setting up signs and directing attendees to the correct meeting rooms. A lunch run in the sunny weather was a nice break.
The self-guided museum tour was a highlight, showcasing Wyoming’s rich history. The day ended with the Opening Reception, where I mingled and took candid photos for social media.
June 6, 2024
Day two of the convention was the busiest. I arrived at 6:30 a.m. for the roundup breakfast, which was delicious. The opening session began at 8 a.m. with a series of speeches and reports. I captured photos of the speakers and edited them for social media updates.
The day included keynote speaker Karen Budd-Falen, the Beef Checkoff in Wyoming speech, and various committee meetings. A memorable moment was discovering that I was roommates with a board member’s granddaughter. The afternoon was spent networking at the trade show, which provided valuable insights and connections for my future career. I spoke to the Fence Post/ Tri State livestock News and the NCBA rep as well as Dennis Sun from the Wyoming livestock roundup. All of their representatives were so welcoming and gave me some great advice.
Lunch featured Reg Phillips, presiding over a session honoring the 25 year Charter members of the Cattlemen’s club. Once the lunch was over, I took some more pictures as the group got together as well as some more photos for some of the officers who are running for higher up positions and needed some new cover photos. It was nice to be recognized for my photography skills during this convention, it helped boost my confidence for my photography business.
The evening’s Social Banquet included the First lady of Wyoming speaking about her Hunger Initiative project as well as the Governor of Wyoming Mark Gordon who gave an inspiring speech to all the producers, followed by a delicious prime rib dinner. I took pictures of all the award recipients from the first lady and of the Governor and rounded out the evening in my hotel room editing photos to post on social media!
June 7, 2024
On the final day of the convention, I was up early for the prayer breakfast. Olivia had kindly set up the centerpieces beforehand, so I was able to enjoy my pancakes during the prayer breakfast. The General Session featured an update from NCBA President Mark Eisele, and a panel discussion led by Jim Magana. Jim actually utilized the photo I used for the script covers for the WSGA staff and officers to tie together his theme of Rancher/Agency partnerships. I helped him get the photo pulled up on the projector screen so he could walk the panelists and the attendees of the purpose of this discussion, which was really cool to see my ideas flourish into others!
The Award Luncheon was a grand finale, with speeches from Senator Cynthia Lummis and Senator John Barrasso. I took photos of award recipients, including Hansen Scholarship winners, Range Professional award winner, Guardian of the Grasslands award winner and Environmental Stewardship winner! The day ended with the WSGA business meeting, after which I packed up all the materials and headed back to Laramie.
Reflecting on these past days, it’s clear that the Wyoming Cattle Industry Convention is more than just an event—it’s a celebration of a community dedicated to the cattle industry. The experiences and connections made will stay with me as I continue my journey in this field.
