[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 129 (Monday, July 28, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S4771]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO JUAN REYES

 Ms. LUMMIS. Mr. President, one of my favorite annual events in 
Wyoming is the Wyoming State Fair, held each year in Douglas. The 
Wyoming State Fair is a big deal in my State and always one heck of a 
good time. It represents the culmination of the various county fairs 
and brings together folks from all over Wyoming to see the best of 
agriculture in our State, eat some delicious food, and celebrate some 
hometown pride. As a rancher myself, I love nothing more than spending 
a day viewing some prize-winning livestock and witnessing the future 
generation of agriculture in Wyoming truly shine.
  At the heart of the State fair is what I believe to be its marquee 
event: the induction of new members to the Wyoming Agriculture Hall of 
Fame. This year, it is my distinct honor and privilege to welcome Juan 
Reyes of Wheatland, WY, into this prestigious group. I am so pleased by 
his selection as there are few who deserve this honor more.
  Juan's journey to Wyoming is nothing short of remarkable and 
inspiring. It began in a place that could hardly be more different from 
Wheatland or Tie Siding, WY--Covadonga, Cuba. There, Juan and his 
family faced a heartbreaking decision that no family should ever have 
to make: sending their young children away to a foreign land while 
their home and way of life were threatened by Fidel Castro's regime.
  As an 11-year-old boy, with a little more than the clothes on their 
back, Juan and his sisters were sent to Florida as a part of Operation 
Peter Pan, where they spent the next 8 months living in a refugee camp 
along with other orphans who also made the journey. From there, Juan 
and his sisters were taken to Colfax, in Washington State, where they 
were able to live with a family who had a wheat farm and a few cattle. 
There, Juan was able to receive some good exposure to working on the 
farm by helping the family out, and eventually, his parents from Cuba 
were able to come to Colfax and work on the farm as well.
  After a short stint in college in Washington, Juan visited Laramie, 
WY, and, like many before him, decided that he found where he wanted 
and needed to be. He ultimately transferred to the University of 
Wyoming, and it was probably one of the best decisions he has ever 
made, because it was there where he would meet his wife and where he 
would lay the foundation for his ranching operation.
  Juan's first foray into ranching was not easy to say the least. He 
and his wife became partners with John Milor who owned a ranch in Tie 
Siding, WY, and Juan was set to manage the operations. While Juan and 
his wife had experience with cattle, they did not have experience with 
cattle during the brutal winters and at the altitude which can top 
8,000 feet, which is pretty close to a mile and a half and, needless to 
say, is considerably different from Washington State or Cuba for that 
matter. This elevation proved especially challenging as many of the 
cows became susceptible to pulmonary artery pressure, which ultimately 
took the lives of many cows and caused significant financial hardship 
for his family. Not to be discouraged, Juan decided to look for 
solutions to his problem. After some research, he was able to find a 
unique breed of cow called Amerifax, which had characteristics that 
helped them withstand the climate and elevation.
  Juan and his family decided they wanted to find another location 
where they could raise more cattle and have a less challenging winter 
and chose to purchase 483 acres in Wheatland, WY, not too far from Tie 
Siding and just up the road from Cheyenne. There, his family was able 
to find immense success and has grown to a 7,000 head feedlot and 1,000 
head of cattle. His success over the years had allowed him the luxury 
of purchasing the MR Angus Ranch, where he worked with John Milnor in 
Tie Siding.
  A lot of folks would probably consider these accomplishments to be 
worthy of the hall of fame, but Juan did not stop here. Juan has made 
countless contributions to agriculture in Wyoming through not only his 
expertise, but through his membership on numerous boards and 
organizations. These include the Albany County Stockgrowers, the 
Wheatland Irrigation District's Board of Commissioners, the University 
of Wyoming Ag College Advisory Committee, the Wyoming Stock Growers 
Association, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and the American 
Angus Association, where he at one point served as the president.
  One of Juan's unique and impressive passions is his ability to train 
border collie dogs for the ranch life. In Wyoming and across our 
Nation, border collies play an important role in keeping livestock on 
task and together, and Juan has built up a national reputation as one 
of the best when it comes to training them. His success with the border 
collies led him to be a founding member and president of the National 
Cattle Dog Association and to serve as a member of the American Border 
Collie Association.
  Juan is currently living what many would consider the American dream. 
He has done so much for Wyoming, and I really can't emphasize enough 
how happy I am for him to be inducted this year into the Wyoming 
Agriculture Hall of Fame. Juan will be joining the likes of a select 
few who have done so much for agriculture in our State. His legacy is 
something to behold and appreciate. I tip my hat to him.

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