The meeting wasn't to start for another half-hour, but already a group of ranchers had gathered outside the extension office.
Leaning against their trucks, they commiserated about the implications of two brucellosis cases reported in Campbell County.
The meeting Thursday night was organized by state and federal officials to address concerns about the impact of the disease.
"There's no need for overreacting and pointing fingers," State Veterinarian Jim Logan said. "We want to get through this with as little impact as possible on the community."
Still, the usual scapegoats - state and federal wildlife managers - came in for criticism, with ranchers saying not enough is being done to reduce spread of the disease in big game.
"It's mystery on top of mystery at these meetings," rancher Gary Tarver said. "I think the Game and Fish people have got to do more. Wildlife is the culprit as far as I'm concerned."
Logan reassured livestock producers and community members that the situation was under control and the only thing to do is watch and wait.
"We're here tonight to talk about what the future holds for this area," Logan said. "We'll have a better idea of the implications for the community as we discover the extent of the disease in the quarantined herds when the testing is completed in the next few weeks."
The two infected cows were part of 50 sent to a livestock sale in Pierre, S.D. Positive test results were confirmed this past week.
It was the fourth herd in Wyoming found to have brucellosis in the past 10 months. The others were in western Wyoming.
The disease can cause animals to abort and chronic flulike symptoms in humans.
About 350 cattle in the herd where the infected cows originated and 1,500 head in six herds that had contact with the first group have been quarantined and are being tested.
Both Logan and Bret Combs, a veterinarian with the U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, said the U.S. Department of the Interior is not doing enough to help rein in the disease.
"The Department of the Interior needs to move forward on management and surveillance," Logan said. "And getting the agency to act is something we all have to lend a hand in and be more vocal about."
The owners of the infected cows are Justin and Linda Edwards, officials announced.
The names of the six ranchers who own the contact herds are being withheld until testing is complete.
John Hines, a state senator who raises cattle, is concerned about the economic impacts to the community.
"We've already been struggling over the feed issue because of the drought," he said. "But now out-of-state buyers will think twice before buying Wyoming cattle."
Combs and Logan could offer little help.
"We may never discover the source of the infection, despite all of our efforts," Combs said. "But whatever the outcome of the tests, we'll have to fight the perception of our trading partners that Wyoming cattle are tainted."
Jamie Snow, a veterinarian with the State Department of Health, said if meat is handled and prepared properly, the bacteria pose no danger to humans.
"However, unpasteurized dairy products from infected animals, such as milk and soft cheeses, can cause infection in humans," he said.
As a precaution, Combs urged ranchers to thoroughly disinfect areas that come in contact with birthing tissue.
In February, after the finding of Wyoming's second diseased herd, the federal government required more extensive testing of breeding cattle in the state.
To help out, legislators allocated $1.6 million to defray the cost of testing, $220,000 for two new technicians at the State Veterinary Lab in Laramie and $125,000 for Gov. Dave Freudenthal's brucellosis task force.
