Star Valley’s Guiding Star Strategy Group is hosting the second of a three-part series of community leadership panels tomorrow, April 21 beginning at 6:30 at the Ford Theatre in Afton. The focus of this panel is Agricultural Leadership.
The Agricultural Leadership of Star Valley Discussion Panel is part of the Youth Entrepreneur Technical Training Foundation Course that began in February. The purpose of this panel is to raise awareness to the importance of the agriculture industry in our valley.
“Our first panel, Women in Leadership of Star Valley, was very successful and we aim to build upon that momentum with our Agriculture Leadership Panel,” shared Michael Horn, Guiding Star Orchestration Officer, in an interview via email. “Agriculture is a staple of this community and has been historically significant in sustaining more than six generations of people here in the valley. As our nation is battling the negative impacts brought on by global policies, wars and eco- nomic uncertainty, our young entrepreneurs are learning how vital our community’s natural resources are to our survival. They are learning the importance of preserving agriculture as a means of self-reliance and com- munity resilience.”
Panelists for this event consist of strong community leaders in the agricultural industry of Star Valley. Authorities on the panel include Hudson Hill (University of Wyoming Lincoln County Extension Officer of Agriculture and Horticulture), Joe Nield (largest cattle rancher in Star Valley), Grant Williams (owner and operator of Star Valley Butcher Block), Jody Shumway (Shumway Farms – largest operating Dairy farm in Star Valley), Austin Graham (authority on pest control and hoop house farming), Curtis Haderlie (owner and operator of Haderlie Farms) and Terry Lemon (gardening expert).
“It is our hope to raise community awareness and direct more support toward our local farming and agriculture industries, to strengthen them and build more critical infrastructure here locally, including a larger meat processing footprint and community farming, as part of our Community Learning Center,” added Horn. “As we listen to the news, even our president is warning of coming food shortages.”
“How can we better leverage our agricultural resources here in the valley to sustain our community and those communities surrounding us? How can we empower our community to source and buy locally produced fruits, vegetables, meats and dairy products? Our panelists have been selected from key segments of the agricultural industry here in the valley. Our goal is to empower our young entrepreneurs and our community to organize and support these critical life-sustaining resources. All of these leaders truly have their finger on the pulse of self-sustaining agriculture solutions that, when push comes to shove, may be our saving grace as large-scale food shortages loom around the about the third panel discussion,
The public is invited to attend
