[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 128 (Monday, July 29, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5137-S5138]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO JIM WILSON

  Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, each year, I come to the floor to 
recognize someone from Wyoming whose commitment and service have made a 
real and lasting difference to the State's agricultural community. This 
year, I would like to tell you about Jim Wilson.
  Many people know Jim as a rancher. Together with his wife Terry and 
his daughter Billie Jo and her family, Jim raises high-quality Wyoming 
beef in Hot Springs County. If you ask Jim, however, he will tell you 
he works to grow better grass to grow better beef. Like his mother and 
father, Willard and Maycle, before him, Jim and his wife have built a 
thriving operation that sets the bar high for other Wyoming producers.
  Most people know that Jim wears many other hats too. After developing 
a strong herd of Saler-cross beef cattle, Jim went on to lead the 
national breed association. He served for a decade on the Hot Springs 
County Hospital Board, was part of the Wyoming Livestock board at a 
pivotal time for the State, and has spent countless hours leading 
meetings for local agricultural and conservation district groups. His 
work has not gone unnoticed. The list of awards recognizing the Wilson 
family and their incredible stewardship of Wyoming's precious natural 
resources is long, and the awards are widely varied. Jim has spent his 
life improving water, soil, forage, and genetics for the future.
  Not all of the accolades, however, belong solely to Jim. For many 
years, Jim has supported and mentored young people across the State to 
learn, live, and grow in their agricultural pursuits. He has inspired 
many and has watched them achieve great success. Like his father, 
Willard, Jim volunteers to judge at county fairs and encourages young 
producers to be engaged in State associations. Put simply, Jim is a 
mentor who leads by example.
  When he served as president of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, 
Jim kept his sights set firmly on the future. As the association 
approached its 150-year anniversary, Jim knew the association would 
soon be in the hands of the next generation of producers. He worked to 
draw younger producers in to build an association that combines 
experience and innovation to make the association stronger. When Jim's 
presidency concluded, he became chairman of the 150th anniversary 
campaign that sought to raise $1.5 million before 2022. We all know 
that, when Jim Wilson sets his sights on something, he cultivates and 
leads an unstoppable team to get the job done.
  Working in agriculture is not simply a job. It is a vocation, a way 
of life, a calling for which Jim, his wife Terry, their daughter and 
her family are incredibly effective ambassadors. They share their 
struggles and their victories, they look for creative solutions,

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and they inspire others to act purposefully. They know there is a 
better future ahead, as long as good people are willing to put in the 
work to make it happen. There is no question Jim has put in the work.
  In a few short days, Jim Wilson will be honored as one of the 2019 
inductees to the Wyoming Agriculture Hall of Fame. He joins the elite 
ranks of other incredible individuals who have forever changed the 
future of this way of life in the great State of Wyoming. Thea Nuckolls 
said it best when she said her late husband JW ``saw Jim as a model of 
integrity, having a spirit of generosity, the heart of humility, and a 
devoted family man.''
  It is with great appreciation and honor that I rise today to 
recognize the incredible contributions of Jim Wilson. My wife Bobbi 
joins me in congratulating Jim and his family on this well-deserved 
honor.

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