Like most other Wyoming institutions, UW CES has faced a number of challenges during the past 20 years. The demand for services has broadened and, in some cases, deepened. County offices are challenged to address a wide range of issues and needs raised by local residents. Traditional focus areas, such as agriculture and family and youth, are changing, and farms, ranches, and agri-businesses have grown significantly. Free trade has internationalized agricultural markets, demanding greater efficiency from producers, processors, and marketers.
Agriculture is on the threshold of a new green revolution through biotechnology and bio-engineering.
Information-providing technologies connect even the most rural Wyoming communities to the rest of the country and the world. Also, society ' s changing opinions regarding the environment and natural resource use continuously play on a stage of conflict that involves public and private lands, the owners, and the users. The structure of families and the values they hold are fundamentally changing the fabric of society. Rapid growth in many communities and the failure of the state ' s economy to keep pace with regional and national economies is a difficult situation. As recognized in both the College of Agriculture Strategic Plan and the UW Academic Plan, finding a solution to these issues requires a greater contribution from UW CES in community resource development.