Despite having a reputation for being the energy producing region of Utah, Uintah County punches above its weight, as Utah Farm Bureau leaders recently found out while visiting the area and having our County Farm Bureau Presidents retreat in Vernal last month. In fact, the almost $63 million in ag products sold places the county 11th in the state, a 49% increase from the last ag census in 2017.

After having training for our County Presidents, we were happy to support the Uintah County Farm Bureau’s big lift in hosting the inaugural Basin Ag Expo. County Farm Bureau leaders had a goal of showcasing the impact agriculture has in the region, even if most people think of it as oil and gas country. While we certainly need as much local energy production as we can get, agriculture’s contributions can’t be ignored. 

Many thanks to go County President Cody Wilkins, the Uintah County Farm Bureau Board of Directors, and others involved in planning this great meeting. It is always hard to do something this ambitious your first time, but the team set the bar high with the quality of presenters and the variety of topics discussed at this meeting.

Uintah County Farm Bureau President Cody Wilkins (far right) and Weber County Farm Bureau President Daryn Westergard (center) visit with a vendor at the Basin Ag Expo

We heard a great variety of presentations, from industry management topics like succession planning, water optimization, and horse training from equine expert Pat Pucket, to more inspirational and moving presentations on leadership and risk-taking in agriculture. 

We were moved by comments from local rodeo cowboy Braxten Nielson and his story of overcoming a horrific rodeo accident and doing things in life with the right purpose in mind. Rob Sharkey, the Shark Farmer, later inspired us with his tales of connection and how the wide variety of audiences he is able to reach are finding connections with the ordinary things we find in agriculture.

Rob Sharkey, the Shark Farmer, visits with attendees of the Basin Ag Expo in Vernal.

The evening ended with some laughs from ag comedian “Tim the Dairy Farmer”, and more importantly with celebrating local farmers and their families for the many contributions they’ve made to our industry in the basin. It was a touching tribute to see these local farmers and learn of the many ways they have gone about supporting agriculture and their communities, and of course, finding ultimate value in the relationships with their families and friends.

The next day’s presentations continued to deliver great information and inspiration. Whether you were focused on cover crops and pest management, or about how technologies are assisting farmers with fertilizer or equipment maintenance, all attendees left armed with more information to help them make better decisions on the farm.

And the motivation kept coming when podcaster and rancher Natalie Kovarik spoke about the need for risk-taking to be successful. Natalie and her husband ranch in the sandhills of Nebraska and took the risk of starting their own ranch by quitting their day jobs and going full-bore into their registered Angus cattle operation. Kovarik told us that in her study of the most successful people, she found they were willing to take calculated risks. This led her to operate under the mindset that risk aversion is success aversion – you can’t have one without the other. She encouraged us all to ask ourselves if NOT taking the risk costs more than actually taking it. And if so – Take. That. Chance.

Utah Farm Bureau State Board Member Steve Hanberg of Uintah County, left, visits with County Farm Bureau presidents during training in Vernal.

And that is exactly what the Uintah County Farm Bureau did. They saw a need for bringing farmers and ranchers from their region together for additional improvement of the industry and to build each other up. They took a risk and showed true leadership in this corner of the state. My hat goes off to them, and the many other Farm Bureau leaders in our counties doing great things. Keep up the great work throughout this growing season!