The Modern West

Wyoming Public Media

Exploring the evolving identity of the American West

  • 34 minutes 22 seconds
    Only One Bite

    The Rardins are father and son cowboys watching climate change threaten their way of life. They’ve given up on the old idea of “get big or get out” and joined the regenerative ranching movement. Inspired by how bison improve the land, they raise cattle to protect grasses and reduce emissions. But for many, it's still a financial risk.

    27 November 2024, 7:00 am
  • 25 minutes 52 seconds
    The Ranch Kid

    Ranchers are having a really hard time these days. They’ve got more drought, more conflict, expensive land, high rates of suicide, just to name a few. But this fall the University of Wyoming launched a new agricultural leadership degree. The goal is to re-envision the rancher of the future. This summer, a Wyoming kid named Ethan Mills became the first registered student in the program. We tag along as he attends a ranch camp.

    13 November 2024, 7:00 am
  • 34 minutes 3 seconds
    Big is Fragile

    We follow the cow’s journey from the mountain pasture to the feedlot and eventually the slaughterhouse. Along the way, we hear from animal welfare advocate Temple Grandin and cattle handlers who all want a fairer, more humane market – and one not so monopolized by large corporations.

    30 October 2024, 6:00 am
  • 34 minutes 58 seconds
    Nothing Heals

    We head to Wyoming’s Red Desert - and hear the history of the 19th century range wars. They led to laws requiring grazing fees and regular land health check-ups. But over a century later, some say these regulations haven’t done enough to protect our wild spaces. Not to mention our climate.

    16 October 2024, 6:00 am
  • 40 minutes 26 seconds
    Cows = Civilization

    The history of how we brought the pastoral cow to live on the arid lands of the west is a violent one. Jim Elliot grew up in the shadow of that history and his stories are quintessential cowboy, full of guns, death and hard winters. But even Jim recognized the tragedy of the attempted annihilation of Indigenous culture and bison to make way for cows. But now, there’s growing hope among tribes as bison make a comeback.

    2 October 2024, 8:00 am
  • 34 minutes 40 seconds
    Se Benefician De Ella

    The Abeyta family has been driving sheep down from the mountains of southern Colorado for generations. But it hasn’t been easy to keep that tradition alive – they’ve had to fight for it. Through their eyes, we trace back the beginnings of the cowboy to the Mexican vaquero and find out how those adventurous roots are still very much alive in the American southwest.

    18 September 2024, 8:00 am
  • 28 minutes 7 seconds
    The Rolling Stone: Bonus 2 of The Great Individualist Reboot

    The Rolling Stone: The Modern West is re-sharing our ranching series The Great Individualist. This time, we explore our deep abiding love for the cowboy. "If you get out there and bust your butt taking care of cows and even putting up hay, it’s so rewarding. I can get on a saddle horse and ride all day." But how that infatuation sometimes gets us in trouble.

    4 September 2024, 6:00 am
  • 18 minutes 22 seconds
    The Rancher of the Future: Bonus 1 of The Great Individualist Reboot

    We're back with a new season of Modern West. Listen to the first episode of The Great Individualist Reboot now!

    21 August 2024, 8:14 pm
  • 3 minutes 20 seconds
    Great Individualist Reboot Trailer
    It's a new season of the Great Individualist - new episode premieres on August 21st.
    7 August 2024, 6:00 am
  • 53 minutes 40 seconds
    The Suffragist In The Basement

    Wyoming is known as the “equality state” because it was the first in the nation to pass women’s suffrage. And for decades it’s proudly recognized that history with a statue of  Esther Hobart Morris, Wyoming's first Justice of the Peace and a vocal participant in the women's suffrage movement. But that statue is no longer standing in front of the Wyoming state capitol.

    26 June 2024, 6:00 am
  • 30 minutes 32 seconds
    One Size Does Not Fit All - Part Six of High Altitude Tales

    Meet Iva, an innovative teacher conducting scientific research with her middle schoolers on the Wind River Reservation. They even set up trail cameras!

    It's the final episode of High Altitude Tales.

    12 June 2024, 6:00 am
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