Phil Soulen

Phil Soulen, 90, of Weiser and McCall, Idaho, passed away Wednesday, October 9th in Wieser. Soulen Livestock is an icon in Idaho agriculture. It was Phil's father, Harry Soulen senior who started the operation. From the 30s to the 50s, he grew up to 10,000 head of sheep and 400 head of cattle, grazing 32,000 acres across five Idaho counties. Over Phil's lifetime, the ranch grew even bigger, more sheep and cattle and more land to graze on.

Known as Solan Livestock, the family still trails thousands of sheep 600 miles annually, across Idaho range land. His bands run from the Birds of Prey near Kuna, to the high mountains above Brundadge Ski Resort in McCall.

In an interview with Farm Bureau in 2013 at the annual Shearing of the Sheep, Soulen’s love for sheep and ranching was obvious. “I love the sound of them. You know their talking now, they want to eat right now. They're all blattan back there because they haven't been fed. These we curled and put under cover last night so we can start shearing on this morning. I don't know how many marches you've been through this, but you know, this is a special time of year.

The shearing versus the harvest. The lambs bring more money than the wool does but this is a very important product.