Ranch Sale Will Benefit Agriculture Students

The University of Wyoming Foundation and Colorado State University Research Foundation have completed the sale of the Y Cross Ranch, setting the stage for significant long-term funding of scholarships and internships for agriculture students.

The ranch, located between Cheyenne and Laramie, was donated to the two universities in 1997 by the Courtenay C. Davis Foundation and the late Amy Davis. Sale proceeds will be divided evenly between the two foundations and directed to endowments dedicated to uses consistent with the 1997 gift agreement. Those include scholarships and internships to study agriculture and closely related fields such as natural resources, animal science and veterinary medicine.

“This is a very exciting development for students and faculty in agriculture and the related natural resources at UW,” says Frank Galey, dean of UW’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. “The proceeds will provide them with tremendous opportunities and experiences in an industry of utmost importance to Wyoming and its people.”

Proceeds from the sale of the ranch will create a new UW endowment fund designated for the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources in excess of $10 million and is anticipated to generate approximately $400,000 annually for academic programs. It will support student scholarships and research related to practical issues concerning agriculture and natural resources in the state and Rocky Mountain region.

Specifically, the program will support scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students and a wide variety of hands-on, experience-based learning opportunities outside the classroom. Those could include practical internships on farms and ranches; laboratory and field research on issues important to Wyoming’s agriculture; and travel to see best practices in operation, such as proper grazing in different settings.

Support for graduate students will take the form of scholarships and stipends for graduate assistants to conduct applied research in the field on real-world issues faced in ranching, farming and natural resource management.

Income from the endowment will be assigned to the general areas listed above. Appropriate faculty committees in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources -- such as the scholarship committee and the internal grants committee -- will determine specific allocations to students and appropriate projects.