Ag Department Expands

Cheyenne, Wy – Agriculture funding in the state received a significant boost from the Wyoming Legislature this year.
The Agriculture Department's General Fund budget will increase by four-million dollars, or 35 percent.
Livestock Board funding will go up by over 50 percent.
Many of the new dollars will be spent on brucellosis testing and to fight West Nile virus and other insect diseases.
Ag Director John Etchepare says he was pleased lawmakers funded four new positions in his agency, including an agricultural policy coordinator.
He says the position will give the state a greater voice in drafting new federal land-management policies -- and also be an advocate for continued grazing on public lands.