Kim Wilde

Our April “Women of Wool” feature is the one and only Kim Gibby Wilde. Kim grew up along the Wasatch Front with no interest in or even an idea of the importance of agriculture. For her the shelves of the grocery store always had plenty of food and the origin of that food required no further thought. When Kim’s parents contemplated a move to Preston, Idaho during her teenage years, she adamantly refused to move to the boonies. She envisioned herself doomed to marry what she considered a stereotypical dumb, redneck farmer. Her dear parents took those words to heart and instead moved to North Ogden. She graduated from Weber High School with nary an Ag class under her belt. So how did this little city girl end up marrying a rancher from rural Utah? As the Yiddish proverb says, “We plan, God laughs.” Shortly after enrolling in Weber State University with the intention of obtaining a psychology degree, Kim met a handsome young man named Logan Wilde in English 111. He swept her off of her feet and into the beautiful hills of Morgan County. Since their marriage in August 1998, Kim and Logan have added to the legacy of M.R. Wilde and Sons, a sheep and cattle ranch currently operating for six generations. The ranch has a herd of about 2,800 sheep and a few hundred cows thrown in for fun. The initial learning curve of what was involved in ranching provided some fun stories. Shortly following her engagement to Logan, Kim joined the family on a very early, very chilly June morning to dock lambs. The sight of the blood, the smell of the sheep, and what was happening to the darling little lambs initially appalled her. To the merriment of the family and sheepherders, Kim naively asked why they didn’t just take all of the lambs to the vet to get the shots. In the intervening years, Kim has become accustomed to docking, lambing, shearing and selling sheep. Her favorite times on the ranch are when the extended family of M.R. Wilde and Sons gathers to work and help. She especially loves working side by side with her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law as they prepare meals for the work crews. There is much laughter and love shared as they work and again when they gather as families after the work is done. Though she didn’t know it as an adolescent, she has since realized there is no better place to raise a family. She and Logan have been blessed with five children, three girls and 2 boys ranging in age from 19 to eight. Kim currently loves working as an aide at Morgan Elementary preschool. In addition to this, she is a great support to her husband, who she lovingly refers to as the “...cutest Utah State Representative House District 53 has ever had.” If she has any time left after family, politics, and preschool, she enjoys making rag quilts and attending book club. THANK YOU Kim Gibby Wilde for your commitment and service to Agriculture!