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If you have not received an email saying that you have paid, you are not registered for the conference.  Contact us at barnyardsbackyards@uwyo.edu
  or 307-766-2913 by noon on April 24, 2026, if you have concerns.

Jeff Edwards, University of Wyoming Extension, Pesticide Coordinator, working and wearing PP equipment - Profile Image

Jeff Edwards

Jeff is a University of Wyoming Extension Educator and Horticulture Specialist. He is also an entomologist who had a previous career evaluating new insecticides, herbicides and transgenic traits and has operated a small scale commercial berry and produce farm in Western Nebraska. As a UW Extension Educator he is responsible for instructing people how to apply pesticides safely and enjoys showing people how to build and manage agricultural related structures particularly hoop houses and geodesic domes.

  • Geodome Build Workshop
  • Extending the Growing Season in Wyoming. How long can I really grow?
  • Building Season Extension Structures to Withstand Wyoming Weather

Jeremiah Vardiman

Jeremiah is an Extension Educator for the University of Wyoming, located in Powell, WY. He has worked for the University for 12 years; 3 years as an assistant Farm Manager at UW’s Sheridan Research and Extension Center and the last 9 years as an Extension Educator. He has a diverse background in land management, with his most recent work being in crop production and pest management for Wyoming crops. His most recent work has focused on vineyard management, insecticide resistance in alfalfa weevils, cheatgrass control, and soil management.

  • Wyoming Soils -Managing them for success
  • Irrigation Management for Wyoming Plants
  • Ins and Outs of Herbicide Use

Amy Smith

Amy is a rancher, insect nerd, and UW Extension educator.  She is a flower enthusiast and is fascinated by the insects that visit them. She is based in Goshen County. 

  • Integrated Pest Management: The whole picture

David Johnson

David who is Executive Director of Rooted in Wyoming, was born and raised on a wheat farm near Kimball, Nebraska. He studied agriculture at the Universities of Wyoming and Arizona. David has agriculture policy experience working in Washington, DC, served as a commercial alfalfa & clover breeder, and most recently international agricultural research and development experience throughout Asia, Africa and the Americas while serving as Deputy Director General Research at the World Vegetable Center based in Taiwan. David is passionate to inspire the next generation of agriculturalists to ensure food security.

  • 2024-25 Case Study of Rooted in Wyoming’s Pilot Incubator Garden at Bridges
David Morneau, Conservation Manager at Popo Agie Conservation District, Standing in Greenhouse - Profile Picture

Dave Morneau

Dave Morneau lives in Lander, WY and works as a Conservation Specialist at Popo Agie Conservation District.  Dave has been a plant lover all his life and enjoys learning about new plants and the food that comes from them.  He and his wife Anita run a cow/calf operation, put up their own hay, and grow and process vegetables for home consumption.

  • Let’s Grow Vertical!

Jenny Thompson

Jenny is a Horticulture Specialist for University of Wyoming Extension.  She teaches on a wide range of horticulture subjects across Wyoming. She’s been starting flowers, native plants and vegetables from seeds in her basement for about 19 years. 

  • Starting Plants from Seed
  • Growing Small Fruits in WY

Nick Hunkerstorm

Nick grew up amongst the vast broccoli, lettuce, and strawberry fields of the fertile Salinas valley. His interest in Mushroom piqued at a farmers market about 6 years ago. Since then he has built a thriving small business supplying mushrooms and microgreens to restaurants and the local community of Lander, where he lives with his wife and two sons.  

  • Incorporating Mushrooms into Backyard Gardening, and Beyond…

Larissa Bonnet

Larissa Bonnet is the Community Vitality and Health Educator for the University of Wyoming in Sheridan County. She has a master’s degree in counseling and human services and focuses her work on food safety, healthy aging, leadership development, and overall well-being. Larissa is a Master Gardener and teaches food preservation courses.

  • The Food Safety Journey: Protecting Quality from Farm to Market

Melissa Cook

Melissa is a Community Vitality and Health Extension Educator with training in food preservation and safe canning techniques. Her work also includes mental health education, overall wellness, aging-related topics, and AI (artificial intelligence).

  • Canning Basics in Action: Pressure Canning and Water Bath Methods Workshop
  • Canning with Confidence: Boiling Water & Pressure Canning

John Hewlett

John is a Ranch/Farm Management Specialist at the University of Wyoming, co-director of the Wyoming GrowinG Beginning Farmers and Ranchers project, and a member of the regional Negotiation in Agriculture, Ag in Uncertain Times, RightRisk, and Risk Navigator teams.

He grew up in Washington State, where he worked for eight years, including four years as a foreman, on a large stocker-cattle and crop operation.

John’s current Extension interests include risk management, integrated management, enterprise assessment, financial analysis, recordkeeping, and applications of technology in agriculture.

  • Cultivating a Healthy New Venture

Ron Rabou

  • Keeping it simple

Zach Buchel

I’m Zach Buchel and I’m a year round veggie farmer in Cody, Wyoming. I started my farm in 2020 and now we sell over $80k of vegetables on just 1/3 acre of land with goals of $300k on 1/5 acres. I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago with no farmers in my family or prior experience.

  • How to turn 1/4 acre into $20k/year

Scott Shell

Scott Schell has been a Univ. of Wyo. Extension Entomology Specialist since 2003. A native of Wyoming and resident of Laramie. He has a great respect for the gardeners of Wyoming who accept the challenge of growing plants in our harsh climate.

  • Recognizing Beneficial Bugs

Donna Hoffman

Donna is the Wyoming State Master Gardener Coordinator and the current Natrona County Horticulture Educator. She has been teaching horticulture subjects and troubleshooting garden issues in Wyoming for many years. She enjoys working with rural landowners as well as urban gardeners and all fellow tree lovers. 

  • Growing Small Fruits in WY

Jedidiah Hewlett

Jedidiah Hewlett is the UW Extension agriculture and natural resources educator serving Converse County. He grew up raising rabbits and poultry, among other endeavors.

  • Small Livestock, Your Garden, and You!

Katherine Clarkson

Katherine has been gardening in Wyoming for over a decade and is an active member of the Park County Master Gardeners, where she is passionate about learning, teaching, and giving back to the community. She earned a horticulture certificate from the Buffalo Botanical Garden in 2014, completed Master Gardener training in 2016, and Junior Master Gardener training in 2018. Her experience includes volunteer projects such as the Lasagna Garden at Wapiti Elementary School and ongoing community education. 

  • Wyoming: A Beginner’s Guide to Gardening

Curtis Haderlie

My wife, Karen and I own and operate Haderlie Farms in Thayne, WY. Our farm is small and diverse, we have an on-farm store and we sell most of our products in Jackson at farmers markets and through our farmmatch website.

  • Growing Cutflowers for Pleasure and Profit

Micah Most

Micah Most is an agriculture and natural resources educator with University of Wyoming Extension serving Johnson Co. and north-central Wyoming.

  • Rotating for Results: Crop Rotation in the Veggie Garden

Richard Woodward

Dr. Richard Woodward is an Extension Horticulture Specialist in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. He joined the University of Wyoming in January 2025 and is a member of the UW Plant Diagnostic Team.

Dr. Woodward is a plant pathologist by training and has more than 30 years of experience in teaching, diagnosing horticultural problems, and plant production. He currently leads the Extension and teaching horticulture program at UW.

  • Apple grafting Workshop
University of Wyoming Extension main program logo, white and brown with brown border

Zach Schultz

Zach Schultz is a Master Gardener from Casper. In 2019, he started grafting apple trees for a home orchard that numbers over thirty trees of more than fifteen varieties, consisting of apples, pears, peaches, cherries, and pawpaws. His latest project is grafting new trees from old orchards at several locations near Casper, in an attempt to revitalize hundred year old orchards with the same varieties. 

  • Apple grafting Workshop

Juliet Daniels

Juliet Daniels is a senior Extension Educator specializing in leadership, governance, civic engagement, and community capacity building. She regularly trains nonprofit and government boards and supports community leadership efforts. 

  • Canning Basics in Action: Pressure Canning and Water Bath Methods Workshop