After demonstrating his prowess herding sheep Saturday, Carie Bennett’s border collie Goose headed straight for a pool of water just out of sight of spectators crazy enough to roast in the sun. Though the competition only lasts about four minutes per competitor, the heat isn’t welcome to those wearing a fur coat.

The competition was part of the fourth annual Wyoming Wool Growers Association Festival at the Park County Fairgrounds. Of course, the schedule of events was set months ago. Yet, the Association moved up the herding competition so dogs and their owners didn’t melt under the mid-day sun.

The Powell resident and her pup Goose get a lot of practice at home, wrangling sheep in the back 40. But Bennett’s barnyard animals have a different pecking order than most sheep farms. Her dogs rule the roost.

“I do have a few sheep,” Bennett said. “But, I have the sheep because of the dogs.”

Known for their intelligence and work ethic, border collies are the most popular sheep herding breed. But their tongues were hanging so low on the day marked by heat advisories that they were lucky not to trip on them.

The pro move for most attending the festival was to stay indoors, enjoying multiple seminars and activities, from making a shawl with the Rug Hookers, to art projects for children and adults and demonstrations on shearing. And of course, for the awards banquet dinner, lamb was served.

“We’re all the way in Laramie, and we came up because we know it’s an awesome event,” said Icelandic sheep farmer B.J. Edwards.

Her wool, with its long strands and thick, plush feel isn’t the only product she produces from her herd.

“We use every part of the animal. We respect the animals and don’t waste anything,” she said.

Edwards tans hides and uses the sheep for multiple purposes.

“We sell the meat and we even sell the skulls,” she said of the horned sheep variety.

In Wyoming, the annual lamb crop is estimated at roughly 205,000 to 215,000 head, and the total sheep and lamb inventory stands near 280,000 to 320,000 head, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Jan. 1, 2025 inventory totaled 295,000 head. The lamb crop for 2025 was estimated at 205,000 head. However, it has been a tough couple years for the industry in the Cowboy State.

The number of sheep and lambs lost to all predators in 2025 totaled 23,700 head, up 1,300 head from the previous year. Lamb losses by all predators amounted to 18,700 head, up 1.6% from last year. The number of sheep lost to all predators totaled 5,000 head, up 1,000 head from a year ago. Predators caused an estimated $5.5 million in losses in 2025, up 8.5% from the previous year. Losses due to predators amounted to 4.6% of the 2025 sheep and lamb supply and 65.8% of all sheep and lamb deaths, the USDA reported. Coyotes remained the largest predator for both sheep and lambs, accounting for 67.5% of the predator caused losses and 44.4% of all death losses in the state. The value of losses attributed just to coyotes was $3.7 million, the agency reported.

In 2025, Wyoming’s sheep and lamb industry faced declining inventories down 5.1% due to ongoing drought and high input costs, yet remained a national leader in wool value. According to the school’s most recent annual report, the 2025 USDA NASS Sheep and Goat Report, Wyoming leads the nation in wool value, with 2.18 million pounds shorn. The state also holds the fourth spot in both breeding sheep and total sheep numbers. Much of this wool is sent out of state, where it undergoes further processing and manufacturing.

The Association

Founded over 100 years ago, the Wyoming Wool Growers Association (WWGA) has played a vital role in the development of the state, working with stakeholders to protect, preserve and enhance the lamb and wool industry and ranching community lifestyle in the West. This is done through a variety of methods and activities, from working with legislators, governmental officials and the general public to assure that decision makers and the public have accurate and complete information about the industry, to working directly with producers to educate and inform them on the latest technology or production practices which serve to enhance their operations and increase their profitability and sustainability.

With a possible super El Nino being forecast — which would increase drought conditions significantly — the forecast for sheep and wool production in the state for 2026 and beyond is concerning to most producers. But those raising and competing in stock dog trials will still be going strong, thanks to a love for dogs, Colorado resident Sarah Mayers said.

“They take amazing care of their dogs here,” she said. “They’re part of the family.”