Harvest WY Conference
Season Extension & Production Basics
Growing longer & better!
April 25, 2026, Holiday Inn, Cody, WY
- 7:50 AM Registration begins and lots of cool booths to visit!
- 8:20 AM Brief welcome, introductions and outline of the day
9:00 AM - 9:45 AM
Session- Extending the growing season in Wyoming. How long can I really grow?
In this session Jeff will discuss the many ways we can extend the growing season in Wyoming.
Main Ballroom
Session- Wyoming soils- Managing them for success
This presentation is going to discuss the most common Wyoming soil types, limitations to these soils, an overview of nutrient requirements for crops, and how to get your soils to be as productive as possible. Taking these concepts and applying them to enclosed space production and intensive cultivation situations will help you produce bountiful fruit and vegetables.
Taggarts 1
Session- Integrated Pest Management: The whole picture
When growing vegetables, pest issues are inevitable. Amy will share practical management strategies for weeds, diseases, insects, and rodents, with a focus on production in enclosed spaces.
Taggarts 2
Session- 2024-25 Case Study of Rooted in Wyoming's Pilot Incubator Garden at Bridges
Rooted in Wyoming’s Incubator Garden provides aspiring and/or existing producers with a rare opportunity to learn, experiment, and grow specialty crops in a low-risk environment. With high land costs and limited access to long-term leases, Rooted’s Incubator Garden offers space, tools, and support for producers to trial crops, test production methods, and build small-scale businesses. The 2024-25 pilot with HighWinds GROW-Stead demonstrated how producers can grow local food, serve the community, and reinvest in their operations. Rooted in Wyoming is actively recruiting new producers and agriculture students ready to take the next step beyond backyard gardens.
Taggarts 3
10:00 AM - 10:45 AM
Session- Let's Grow Vertical!
Join Dave as he discusses maximizing space efficiency in your season extension structures and confined garden spaces though vertical gardening. Topics include key benefits, best suited plants, and types of materials and structures that can be used.
Main Ballroom
Session- Starting Plants from Seed
Starting plants from seed indoors provides advantages to Wyoming growers. It gives you a head start on our short growing season and allows you grow a wider variety of vegetables and flowers than you may find available as plants. And it’s just plain fun. We’ll cover the basics of starting plants indoors and send you home with the info that will get you off to a great start!
Taggarts 1
Session- Incorporating Mushrooms into Backyard Gardening, and Beyond...
This session will introduce intrepid green thumbs to the propagation of outdoor mushroom crops. Core subject matter will include mushroom life-cycle, components of mushroom garden beds, “seeding” a bed, monitoring growth, pest management, and harvesting. Mushroom varieties will be discussed.
Taggarts 2
Session- The Food Safety Journey: Protecting Quality from Farm to Market
Ensuring food safety is a critical journey that begins at the farm and continues all the way to the consumer’s table. This presentation will explore best practices and key checkpoints for maintaining food safety, including proper harvesting, handling, transportation, storage, and retail practices. Attendees will learn about common hazards, regulatory requirements, and practical strategies to minimize contamination risks throughout the supply chain. Join us to discover how each step—from farm to market—plays a vital role in delivering safe, high-quality food to customers.
taggarts 3
11:00 AM - 11:45 AM
Session- Building Season Extension Structures to Withstand Wyoming Weather
Jeff will cover the many types of structures he has experimented with in Wyoming. He’ll discuss the pros and cons of each and provide information on light and airflow management to optimize the growing conditions in an enclosed space.
Main Ballroom
Session- Irrigation Management for Wyoming Plants
Providing plants with the water they need to succeed is major challenge in Wyoming. This session will cover the scientific knowledge of how to manage irrigation for plant health and production, the pros and cons of the different irrigation systems, and how to put this knowledge into practical use.
Taggarts 1
Session- Canning with Confidence: Boiling Water & Pressure Canning
This one-hour class reviews the basics of safe food preservation, with emphasis on boiling water and pressure canning techniques, including when and why to use each method. Participants will understand equipment, safety rules, and common errors—without hands-on practice.
Taggarts 2
Session- Cultivating a Healthy New Venture
Are you ready to turn your great idea into a thriving new venture? Success depends on more than just ambition—it requires understanding potential hurdles, prioritizing key challenges, and tackling risks strategically. Identifying critical challenges early on, whether they involve funding, team dynamics, or market competition, can make all the difference. By addressing these challenges from the start, you can set your venture on the path to success.
Taggarts 3
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
1:45 PM - 2:30 PM
Session- How to turn 1/4 acre into $20k/year
The proven system to produce up to $20,000 of food your first year with 10-20 hours/week of work. By the end of this presentation, hopefully you’ll have a clear idea of how to begin growing food in a way that actually PAYS you money & doesn’t take 70 hours/week to accomplish!
Main Ballroom
Session- Recognizing Beneficial Bugs
An illustrated presentation to raise awareness of the many different types of insects that are beneficial to our gardens and landscapes. Learning about beneficial insects will allow you to manage your plants either to benefit them or at least not harm them unintentionally.
Taggarts 1
Session- Growing Small Fruits in WY
Growing large tree fruit in Wyoming can be challenging. Small fruits can be a better fit for many Wyoming growers and a complementary crop for those growing tree fruit. This session will cover the variety of small fruits that can be grown in Wyoming and some tips to help them grow well and produce the harvests you are looking for.
Taggarts 2
Session- Small Livestock, Your Garden, and You!
Do you find yourself managing mounds of manure? Are you thinking about shifting to organic cropping methods? Come and learn how livestock and gardening can be both competitive and complimentary.
Taggarts 3
2:45 PM - 3:30 PM
Session- Wyoming: A Beginner’s Guide to Gardening
In this session Katherine will cover some of the difficulties of gardening in Wyoming (like wind and soil issues, etc.) a cover some approaches to deal with them including drought-friendly gardening, and plant selection.
Main Ballroom
Session- Ins and Outs of Herbicide Use
This presentation is going to discuss the different types of herbicides sold for homeowners, the appropriate timing of those herbicides, and the appropriate areas to use them. We will also discuss how to hone your herbicide strategy to get the most weed control.
Taggarts 1
Session- Growing Cutflowers for Pleasure and Profit
Curtis will share his journey in learning how to grow cut flowers in spite of wind and cold, how to assess your market potential and how cut flowers will bring additional joy to you and everyone lucky enough to take a bouquet home. We’ll discuss where to source seeds and plugs, and which species you might consider trying.
Taggarts 2
Session- Rotating for Results: Crop Rotation in the Veggie Garden
Crop rotation is an ancient management practice used to optimize crop productivity and to mitigate pests and diseases. In this talk: Plant growth forms and their complementarity, recognizing families of common crop species, rotation’s influence on common diseases and deficiencies, and empowering growers to better manage their vegetable gardens.