In correspondence with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Western Governors called for the department to protect and strengthen the American sheep industry. Recognizing that western states have experienced severe volatility in farm income and farm prices since their peaks in 2013, the letter of October 30, 2023, signed by the Chair of WGA, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon, and WGA’s Vice Chair, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, specifically encouraged the department to pursue trade agreements that maximize benefits for the West’s farmers and ranchers. “The sheep industry is challenged by labor constraints, changing public land grazing policies, inflation, and imports,” the letter read. “Western Governors support a farm safety net that recognizes past deficit reduction contributions of the agricultural sector and maintains funding for other key commodity, conservation, crop insurance, livestock indemnity and emergency assistance, research, energy, and export promotion programs.” Read the full correspondence for additional details.