02/24/06 Souza leaves; horse owners sought

Ed Souza has left the University of Idaho and is now working in Wooster, Ohio. Souza spent the last 18 years at the Aberdeen Research Center where he was nationally recognized for his work in wheat breeding. Salary and the budget problems that face the University of Idaho are just two of the reasons that Souza took the job with the federally funded Agricultural Research Service in northwest Ohio. Souza is best known for his work on 377, a hard white wheat variety. He says more wheat varieties are coming. SOUZA "We're got two of our new releases into the quality council this year. This one variety UI Darwin which is a hard white winter wheat and then another soft white spring wheat which is a up for release." It's a double loss because Souza's wife Mary, who was his support scientist, has also taken a job in Ohio and will leave Aberdeen in June. The BLM and the rancher based Public Lands Council are urging public lands ranchers to consider buying older wild horses. The BLM has seven thousand horses in pasture holding facilities that must be sold under a recently passed law. Director Kathleen Clarke says letters are going out to 15 thousand western ranchers seeking buyers. The BLM uses half of its wild horse program budget just to keep the horses in holding facilities. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott .