Sheep raisers not complaining

All in all 2008 was a decent year for Idaho sheep producers said American Sheep Industry Association Secretary/Treasurer Margaret Soulen Hinson. “The market has softened, but that’s natural given the economy. Producers felt it was a good year,” said the Weiser producer with Soulen Livestock. Throughout the year, ASI remained focused on disease-transmission issues and the legal dispute between supporters of wild sheep reintroduction into the Payette National Forest and domesticated sheep ranchers who have long accessed the land for grazing. The Payette National Forest contains ideal range conditions for the 20,000 domestic sheep that graze within the forest every year and wild sheep, which are roaming into Payette domestic grazing allotments from Hells Canyon. This year, the Forest Service barred domestic sheep from parts of the Payette that connect with bighorn habitat. A legal battle is still brewing, and what happens in Payette could set precedent for the future of the sheep ranching industry, Hinson said....