How troubled is Utah's sheep industry?

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Utah's sheep industry continues to face challenges from foreign imports and lack of processing.

Reps. Celeste Maloy and Burgess Owens advocate for tariffs to protect domestic wool and lamb.

Ranchers say they seek fair trade, not government aid, to sustain their traditional livelihoods.

TOOELE — It is not every day that you see sitting members of Congress carrying a shepherd's staff.

But at a warehouse in Tooele County on Thursday, Reps. Celeste Maloy and Burgess Owens from Utah's delegation were brandishing them proudly.

"We want to make farming great again," Owens said. "This is the culture that defines our country."

The two GOP members organized an event at the Utah Wool Growers Association's warehouse, where stacks upon stacks of wool simply sit. Some of it has been