Cooper Larson
Graduate Student – Class of 2027
Raised on his family’s small farm in northern Idaho, Larson has been around agriculture his entire life; however, team sports were his first passion, specifically, baseball. He continued playing baseball into college in Walla Walla, Washington before transferring to the Univeristy of Wyoming where he completed his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering. During his time in Wyoming, he began working for Lazy T Ranch in Ten Sleep. “It was there that my passion for ranching and agriculture began to take shape,” recalls Larson. “I started as a ranch hand and worked my way up to running the hay production followed by running the cow herd over the span of six years.”
Larson first learned of KRIRM from alumnus Seb Killpack [‘24] during his summer internship at Lazy T Ranch. “He and I worked side by side throughout the summer and he informed me of all the opportunities and experience he had gained at the Institute,” says Larson. He was intrigued at the opportunity to expand his working knowledge and gain invaluable connections within the industry.
Over the next two years, he hopes to gain insight and understanding across all aspects of the ranching industry. He also looks forward to improving his ability to communicate and advocate for the industry at all levels through the projects, presentations and networking afforded throughout the program. When asked about long-term goals, he says they are general, “I want to pursue excellence to work at the highest capacity possible.” This is what ultimately led him to deciding to apply to the program stating, “The Institute pursues these goals within their program and produces professional employees that are on their way to being the top of their field.”
Larson and his wife Caroline, an accomplished author, are recently married and met while working together in Wyoming.