Rising Stars: Meet Cathryn Becker

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cathryn Becker.

Hi Cathryn, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
My family and I moved from Colorado, where I was born and raised, to Casper, Wyoming about 30 years ago. We raised 3 beautiful daughters on an old farm we purchased just west of town. 

The farm had been homesteaded during the early part of the 1900s as a sheep ranch and hay farm. We continued the hay operation (with no previous experience!) until a few years ago. The fields lay fallow until recently. 

During the isolation of Covid, I began taking long walks around the property. My girls had all grown up and moved away from home and I was entering that second phase of life known as an “Empty Nest” and not managing it well at all! 

Up until then, my family and I had always been very involved in each other’s lives and in our community. Casper is the kind of town where everyone seems to know everyone else, and it is easy to make wonderful connections. Life was busy and full…and then my daughters grew up, moved away, and Covid struck. 

So, let’s go back to the walks I was taking around the property. The farm is 100 acres of hay and meadows with vast landscapes to the west. The sunsets are spectacular. But owning and operating a farm or ranch is very hard work physically and financially. 

I had a heavy sense that we were coming to a crossroads of either selling and moving on, or digging in and making the farm all that it could be. As I sat in my favorite spot, a hill that overlooks the entire property, I felt it was the land that called out for that decision… “Step up and appreciate this gift you’ve been given or move on!” At that moment, my heavy heart suddenly felt full and energized. I loved this farm, but I had been discouraged for a long time. Yet here it was, speaking into my soul. This little farm needed me. And I especially needed it: the land, the trees, the wildlife, and a purpose. 

I walked back to the house, took out a notepad and a pen, and let the flood of thoughts and ideas pour onto the paper. Within an hour I had a 4-level plan for getting the farm back on track and showed it to my husband. “You’re either with me or you’re not, but I’m doing this!” I knew it would take time and tons of effort, but I had a renewed sense of responsibility, and I couldn’t wait to begin. 

What were the four levels? 

Produce a small-scale flower farm 

Regenerate the hay fields 

Create a space for summer concerts 

Rescue wild horses 

After three years of non-stop work, The Bloomery, as it has come to be called, has seen all four areas of the plan come to life. Each one has taken on their own life, seen disappointments and success, and taught me that all things are possible, even the most daunting if you are willing to take that first step. In return, the farm has become a joy to me and a haven for friends who come to sit under the giant trees and listen to music. It has become a place to “step off the world for a while” and I can feel the land sigh with contentment. This is what it was meant to do. 

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Roads are never smooth, and each area of the “farm plan” has seen its share of struggles! 

The flower garden does not have a sprinkler system. I spend up to 6 hours a day watering by hand and caring for the variety of flowers I grow each summer. Watering takes up much of the time that I need to spend in other areas of the farm as well this next summer that issue will be remedied with a new watering system. I don’t use any chemicals or pesticides in the garden and sometimes bugs are an issue as well. I am learning that there is usually a reason invasive bugs show up in the first place and I am learning to work backward to move forward and let things take their course sometimes. 

Hayfield is another story involving lots of trial and error. After two discouraging years of planting cover crops and not reducing the invasive weed issue, I reached out to the County Conservation District for help. They are an incredibly helpful resource and are assisting me in creating a plan to replant the field with native grasses and forage and implement a side-roll irrigation system to distribute water evenly across the field. My goal is to produce enough hay to feed our animals year-round and to provide lasting resources for the wildlife who also call the farm home. 

We are about to begin our third summer of “Concerts on the Farm”, and it has been a fantastic experience! Attendance grew from 67 people at the first show to almost 300 at our final show last summer. The challenges are providing a comfortable and safe place for visitors while also protecting the farm, marketing and staying current on trends, and getting the word out. After the Covid shutdown, bands, musicians, and singer-songwriters are looking for places to perform again. It is such an honor to have them perform on the farm! 

And finally, the wild horse story is a tale all of its own with a host of challenges AND great rewards. I serve on the board of the Wyoming Mustang Institute here in Casper and have become intimately involved and deeply acquainted with the battle waging on behalf of wild horses in the West. Since I was 10 years old, I dreamed of adopting a wild horse. Last April that dream became a reality when I brought two beautiful Mustangs home from the BLM holding facility in Wheatland, Wyoming. I have ZERO regrets and hope to bring home others in the future. 

It is a very big commitment to adopt and care for wild horses and requires the space, resources, and patience to learn what they need and don’t need to live an optimal life. One additional thing I will share is this: the BLM requires a 6-foot fenced corral for adopted mustangs and that is no joke! Stocky little mustangs can easily jump a 5-foot fence if there is something they want on the other side! 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
For 12 years, I was a professional photographer shooting everything from babies and children to seniors, families, and weddings. In the latter half of my journey, I was very fortunate to land a gig as the photographer for the Casper College Theatre Department, which then led to marketing the department for a few years as well. I loved being behind the lens during the final dress. Being able to watch a show come together after many, many nights of rehearsals, costume-making, and set designing was a magical experience for me! 

For weeks, I watched the students pour their hearts and souls into their roles, and photographing them wasn’t something I took lightly. I made it my mission to capture them at their very best so they could look back one day and take pride in themselves and what they had created as individuals and as a group. I am very proud of those experiences and how much I learned and grew as a person and as an artist. 

Marketing the college theatre opened yet another door to becoming director of marketing for Opera Wyoming at its inception. Theatre of any kind is magical but sharing the story of creative vocal artists like opera singers was so much fun! 

When it was time for me to launch The Bloomery, I developed an extensive knowledge of successfully marketing the arts in a large state with a small and isolated population. I am so grateful for the relationships and experiences working in theatre has given me. It led me to where I am today: marketing and growing The Bloomery into a unique Wyoming experience! 

Any big plans?
The Bloomery and the farm are just stepping into their own. I am looking forward to seeing where the future takes all of us! We have a long road ahead with twists and turns to navigate. However, the plan we have in place creates a solid foundation to launch our dreams. We have a small and talented team of cheerleaders who have come alongside – each who shares a different gift; advisors, encouragers, listeners, creatives…honest voices who want to see The Bloomery become what it was called to be: a place to step off the world for a while. And don’t we all need that? 

This summer we will have 5 concerts on the Bloomery stage: Mark Oblinger from Boulder, Colorado, Tophouse (who is originally from Montana and now living in Nashville), Aaron Davis from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Liver Down the River from Durango, Colorado and Kelly Hunt from New Orleans. Our stage is constantly evolving to highlight and accommodate these bands safely. Work is ongoing on that front. At the top of our Wishlist is in-house sound equipment. Some bands travel with their equipment but many do not. We would like to be able to offer quality sound. The challenge in all of this is keeping the farm charm alive while acknowledging best practices for concerts. 

As for the flowers, we are looking forward to bringing back Flower Fridays this summer after our loss to little beetles last year. Flower Fridays involve the delivery of Bloomery Bouquets to a local business, which in turn sells the flowers for The Bloomery. The goal is to generate traffic to local businesses and with no current storefront on our end, this has been a fun way to work with business owners and develop relationships. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bloomeryfarm.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloomery_farm?igsh=MWEyZnYzdXl6b2Nrdw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bloomery307?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits
Jake Hoffman, Cindy Schneider, and Lynn Hanson