Sheep Station Closing
Simpson and Walden Move to Stop Closure of Idaho Sheep Research Station
Imagine in a state that is so heavily involved in livestock in general, sheep and cattle specifically, that there would be some thought towards closing the U.S. Sheep Experimental Station in Dubois, Idaho. Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson, Oregon Congressman Greg Walden, and other western members of Congress have asked the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture to stop the closure of the station. In a letter, the members ask that Subcommittee Chairman Robert Aderholt not approve the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) request for reprogramming of funds from the sheep station in Dubois. Reprogramming of funds would result in closure of the facility.
The congressman's spokesperson, Nikki Watts:"Congressman Simpson was disappointed to learn that ARS has plans to close the US. Sheep Experimental Station in Dubois and frustrated that ARS did not notify Congress or the sheep industry until the decision had been made. In our letter to Chairman Aderholt, we explain that closure of the Dubois Sheep Experiment Station would have a substantial impact on the western sheep industry and express our concern that people involved in the industry were not consulted before ARS made this decision."
Oregon Congressman Greg Walden said: "No other station conducts research into the unique challenges that confront sheep producers in Oregon and across the west, like grazing techniques, diseases, or developing new breeds. That's why we are working hard with other western representatives to keep this station open so this innovative ag research can continue."
?Congressman Simpson and Congressman Walden state in the letter that the ARS sheep center at Dubois conducts critical research on the interaction between domestic and bighorn sheep, and that "it would be difficult, if not impossible, for this research to continue if the Dubois center was closed."
