UW offers guide to local foods, programs and resources

Whether you're looking for alfalfa in Fort Washakie, jams and jellies in Newcastle or pumpkins in Powell, the 2024 Wyoming Specialty Crop Directory has you covered.

The directory probably should come with a warning: You may feel an irresistible urge to jump in your car and take a locally-food-based road trip.

The directory is a publication of the University of Wyoming Extension in partnership with the Wyoming Department of Agriculture. Funding for the project came from the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, through funds provided to the WDA's Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.

Now in its second edition, the directory includes locally produced foods across the state, resources for community gardens, school horticulture projects and more.

"One of the most enjoyable aspects of working on this publication is visiting with folks around Wyoming who produce these foods," said Robert Waggener, project coordinator and editor. "I have heard many wonderful stories, and one word seems to follow them all: 'passion.'"

The directory also has listings for farmers markets; businesses that sell locally produced specialty crops and products; school, community and church gardens; county fairs; garden clubs; local, state, and national organizations and agencies that are directly involved with agriculture, including specialty crops and food production; and a list of resources to help producers, businesses, organizations and others build on the local food movement across Wyoming.

For Natrona County alone, the directory offers over 75 listings. And it's adding more for the next edition as they are found.

An online database for the directory is also in the works, Waggener said.

The directory can be found here .

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