TORRINGTON – Kayle Berry nearly missed receiving her Heart of Ag award in person - she was having lunch at Arby’s.
The Berry family, longtime Goshen County residents, had a typical Sunday. They went to church and stopped to eat before heading to the ranch rodeo at the Goshen County Fair.
But as Berry was chatting with some relatives who’d also arrived at the restaurant, she noticed her husband, Charles Berry, was getting antsy.
“He kept saying we needed to get to the ranch rodeo, but I told him we had plenty of time,” Berry said. “He finally got really adamant about needing to leave, which isn’t like him. Plus, my daughter is texting me and asking where we are and if we’re coming. They were in on it.”
Attending the ranch rodeo is an annual tradition for the Berry family, but this year, her husband and daughter were tasked with getting her to the stands a little early. Berry was to receive the Heart of Ag award, an annual distinction presented to a Goshen County woman who works on a farm or ranch daily, either alone or with their partner.
The family made it just in time for the announcement to begin.
Berry admitted she wasn’t fully paying attention when the speech about her win began. But as it got closer and closer to the end, she leaned over to her husband and said “Are they talking about me?”
When she saw the tears in his eyes, she knew.
“It was such a surprise,” Berry. “Plus, I don’t really like to call attention to myself.”
In her nomination, Berry’s life as a homemaker and ranch wife were highly praised.
“She doesn’t have a full-time job in town but instead she has the job of keeping the ag operation moving forward, the bookkeeping, housekeeping, feeding her family and many times the
help, keeping everyone’s busy schedule straight in addition to her daily duties outside of the home,” the nomination said.
Berry and her husband have been married more than 50 years, running the family’s cattle ranch the entire time. But she is a Goshen County girl to the bone, growing up on a farm not all that far from where she lives today.
“I’ve been involved in agriculture all my life. I grew up on a farm in Lingle and my dad farmed and we had some cattle,” she said. “This is the kind of life I always wanted to have. From the time I was a little girl, I said I was going to marry a rancher, and I did.”
Her favorite part of ranch life is working side-by-side with her husband, facing new challenges every single day. Being out under a beautiful Wyoming sky beats any day in an office, even if there might be wind, snow or rain.
There have been trials and triumphs throughout their five decades on the ranch, but droughts are always the toughest hurdles to face, Berry said. They have around 200 to 250 cattle at any time, and it can be difficult to hold operations together while praying for a little bit of moisture.
Through the good times and bad, the Berrys have kept the ranch spirit alive, something they have taught to their two children and now grandchildren.
“We have two grandsons that are very much interested in the ranch, so it’s very fulfilling to be able to work cattle together as a whole family and do things together,” Berry said. “Our daughter’s family works on the ranch with us and our son helps out when we need him. We couldn’t have done it without our two kids over the years.”
Being a ranch wife isn’t the easiest life in the world, but Berry credited determination and her faith in God for getting her to where she is now. Ranching is a way to make a living, but it’s also a lifestyle, she said.
“It’s hard work, but it’s very fulfilling,” she said. “We produce food for people and that’s an important job. A lot of people don’t realize that it’s not as simple as going to the grocery store and getting your meat off the shelf. There’s a whole process involved.”
Life on a ranch in Goshen County is something for which Berry is particularly grateful. She feels blessed to live here, so she shows her gratitude by giving back. Berry pointed to her mother-in-law as being a major proponent of being active in the community, something Berry wanted to follow.
In addition to her busy life on the ranch, Berry volunteers regularly, including at her church, where she even served as a Sunday school teacher and a cook for the church camp for many years.
She is also a member of the local 4-H club, where she has clerked for the static exhibit judging for more than 20 years, as well as the Burge Club and the Goshen County Cattlewomen for nearly 50 years.
As busy as she is, Berry said she still gets plenty of rest at night.
“You’re pretty tired by the end of the day, so it’s not hard to fall asleep,” she said.
