Sara Wood is the owner and founder of Wyoming Heritage Grains, a direct to consumer regenerative farm and flour mill specializing in heirloom and heritage wheats, barleys, and ryes.

In 2017, Sara became curious about why more people are gluten intolerant and discovered heritage and heirloom grains, which are ancient, pre-hybridized varieties of wheat, oat, barley, and rye. Realizing how much biodiversity has been lost in our current food and seed chain supply through corporations like Monsanto, Sara went to work. She left her corporate job and convinced her father and uncle to completely transform their traditional farm, growing conventional crops like sugar beets, corn and beans, into a regenerative agricultural operation. They use several species of cover crops and companion crops, rotational grazing and no till practices to raise their heritage wheats, barleys, and rye. They are more self-sufficient because they don’t rely on added fertilizers and pesticides to manage their soil and crop health. The largest, and possibly riskiest transformation to the farm was ditching the traditional commodity market for a direct to consumer model. 

Biodiversity is life on earth. As the owner and founder of Wyoming Heritage Grains, Sara believes good food should be sustainably grown and nutrient dense, so life on the farm begins underground. Keeping food in her community and connecting people to where their food comes from and how it gets to their plate is of utmost importance. For Sara, an unexpected joy of becoming a farmer has been milling all her own flour. She’s the only commercial flour mill in Wyoming and sells White Sonora pancake mix, red fife berries, several types of flours and many more offerings. From seed to table, you’ll never find Sara’s yield shipped off to another state or country before returning to your plate. 

Sara is considered an outsider for doing things differently, but growing food holistically isn’t a new concept. Sara fields a lot of questions from other farmers who stop and wonder what she’s doing. This helps Sara on her quest to strengthen the agricultural community and empower more farmers to think outside the box. Ultimately she wants everyone to be more aware about what it takes to grow, process, and deliver food to market, while also cultivating connection between farmers, ranchers, other land stewards, and consumers. Sara is most inspired by nature and says, “Farming is an ecosystem. You can grow your garden like an ecosystem, plant your lawn like an ecosystem, or whatever you have available to you, and it’s all going to make a big impact. Everyone has a role to play, but if we don’t all work together, it’s not going to work.”

Learn more about Sara at WomeninWyoming.com/Sara-Wood

Sara Wood | Regenerative farmer, heirloom grain grower and flour miller

Ann Simpson grew up on a small farm in Greybull, Wyoming. As the wife of former United States Senator Alan Simpson, she had the opportunity to travel and experience the world. The exposure to people and cultures here and abroad informed and inspired Ann’s many projects across the decades. Throughout her years in politics, first with father-in-law Milward Simpson and continuing with husband Al in the Wyoming State Legislature and the U. S. Senate, Ann learned that by extending oneself to people of all types, they respond in kind. This realization has been a guiding force throughout her life and is at the heart of her good works. Time spent in Germany as part of Al’s army career led Ann to start the first American Field Service study abroad program in Cody. This program allowed Wyoming youth to travel abroad, while bringing students from around the world to Wyoming. A mental health advocate, Ann was passionately involved in the Congressional Wives Mental Health Group and the Lab School of Washington for Children with Dyslexia. As a champion of the arts, Ann was spurred to create the University of Wyoming’s most successful art outreach effort: The Ann Simpson Artmobile. Named in her honor, the Artmobile has traveled the state for more than 30 years showcasing pieces from the University of Wyoming Art Museum’s collection, exposing Wyoming communities to the arts, and engaging students with hands-on activities.

Women in Wyoming

Ann Simpson

Ann Simpson | Wyoming steward, mental health advocate, and champion for the arts

Throughout Wyoming’s history, its women have been brave, strong, and impactful. The mission of Women in Wyoming is to tell the inspiring stories of contemporary Wyoming women through art and media, celebrating their achievements, power, and learned wisdom. From artists to politicians, ranchers, authors, businesswomen, and community stewards, creator Lindsay Linton Buk highlights some of Wyoming’s changemakers, rule-breakers, and innovators through podcast interviews and portrait photography. By illuminating the power of women through art and media, Women in Wyoming is dedicated to pioneering a platform to promote the integrity, diversity, and profound legacy of Wyoming women and girls.

Ann Simpson | Wyoming steward, mental health advocate, and champion for the arts

Women in Wyoming

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