S&W Livestock is a unique partnership between Lindsay and Dan Wood, and Don and Kathy Spellman. The ranch is 40 miles northwest of Gillette and consists of the Spellman’s original ranch and neighboring ranches that the Spellmans and Woods have purchased. In 2006 Lindsay was working as the Campbell County Extension Agent and she and Don began working on a few projects together. Through this relationship Lindsay ended up renting from Don. “I needed a place to live and Don had a trailer on his property that didn’t have anyone living in it.” Lindsay said. “What started as a rent for work situation eventually evolved into a 50/50 partnership.”

Lindsay grew up in Hesperia, CA and attended California Polytechnic University earning a Bachelor’s in Animal Science. She went on to earn a Master’s in Integrated Resource Management from Colorado State University. “Most people with my background don’t get an opportunity like this.” Lindsay said. “I have an all-academic background. I raised 4-H animals and always had horses around as a kid, but I was certainly not from a production agriculture background.”

Lindsay continued her job as Extension Agent but she also worked for Don evenings and weekends. Don and Kathy wanted to start wintering in Arizona and they needed someone on the ranch during the winters that they could trust and someone that had an interest in the ranch. According to Don, Lindsay was perfect for this. "She has a great work ethic and I knew I could trust her." Don said. After the first year Lindsay began buying a few cows from Don. Starting with 20 head, she soon had a small herd of her own.

At this time Lindsay began dating Dan Wood. Dan is originally from West Virginia and was working at the power plant in Gillette when they met. After they were married Dan began working on the ranch as well. In the beginning they felt that they were going to have to maintain their regular jobs and raise cows on the side, but several things happened to build the operation. They were able to buy two of the neighboring ranches and begin to develop the ranch into what it is now. “The secret to this partnership is what everyone brings to it. Lindsay is the idea person, and Dan is the glue.” Don said “From the very beginning she was always asking me what my goals were and then making plans for how to reach them.” 

Fast forward to 2024 the ranch is a 50/50 partnership between the Spellmans and the Woods. Each couple owns half the land and half the cattle and they are all committed to making changes to the ranch that increase the productivity and the sustainability of the cattle and the property. The changes that they have made, and that they continue to make, caught the attention of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association who chose S&W Livestock to receive the 2024 Environmental Stewardship Award. Each year WSGA, in partnership with the Wyoming Department of Agriculture, recognizes Wyoming cattlemen whose natural resource stewardship practices contribute to the environment and enhance productivity and profitability. “Because I have an extension background and Don is a pretty progressive guy (and always has been), if you have read about it, we have probably tried it somewhere on the ranch or in some capacity.” Lindsay said. “Everyone is doing cool things though, just because we are in the spotlight today doesn’t mean other people aren’t doing things just as impressive and just as forward thinking as we are. It’s just our day to talk about it”. What they have done in the last dozen years is impressive. Don was an early adopter of rotation grazing but they have taken it to a new level. With  the use of wildlife-friendly electric fencing, they have gone from 7 pastures to 52. They now have a rest/rotation style grazing plan and they put an emphasis on every pasture getting a lot of rest. 

They feel that they have greatly increased their drought resistance and decreased the amount of winter feeding that is necessary. The two ranches that were purchased contained some depleted wheat-farming ground and some unproductive hay meadows. The hay meadows have been revived through intensive grazing and the old wheat farm area has been replanted to a diverse cover crop that provides winter grazing for weaned calves. S&W partnered with the University of Wyoming on a native plant initiative and have rehabilitated their riparian zones. They have put in more than 33 miles of water pipelines, connecting 7 wells to 46 water tanks. This benefits both cattle and wildlife, and allows S&W to graze in areas that were not available before.

The Woods and the Spellmans were among the earliest to identify and begin to aggressively combating ventenata, an invasive annual grass that neither cattle nor wildlife will graze. S&W has worked closely with Campbell County Weed and Pest to develop an effective strategy for controlling and eliminating this invasive, non-productive grass. S&W Livestock is a great example of how people got together and developed a very unique partnership that operates like a multi-generational family ranch. It allows one family to not have to sell out to be able to retire, and another family the ability to get into cattle ranching without having to inherit a ranch in order to get started. The vast improvements they have made to their property and business make S&W Livestock a great example of sustainable agriculture.