One of the quintessential Wyoming experiences is driving down a lonely two-lane road on the high plains and finding your vehicle slowed to a crawl by hundreds of baying sheep streaming past your windows.

But what many travelers don't see behind that pastoral scene is a rapidly changing industry grappling with international market forces, processing challenges and the squeeze of rising costs that threaten family operations across the state.

Gov. Mark Gordon announced the Cowboy State Agricultural Initiative on Oct. 11 during halftime at a University of Wyoming football game, appointing a 13-member working group "committed to preserving Wyoming's agricultural heritage for current and future generations."

The group includes executive branch advisors, state legislators, a county commissione

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