UI launches cattle research facility

SALMON, Idaho – With the donation of a 1,100-acre ranch and more than 100 heifers, the University of Idaho has launched what school President Tim White says will be the premiere research facility for cattle and ranching operations in the Pacific Northwest.

The Moscow-based school took ownership of the ranch six miles north of the town of Salmon on Thursday, opening its first new agricultural research station in 20 years.

It will be called the Nancy M. Cummings Research, Extension and Education Center in honor of the Arco woman who died in 1995 after moving to the spread between the Salmon River and the Continental Divide.

The Auen Foundation also paid for construction of a new classroom building, fences and an upgrade of the irrigation system. Area ranchers donated the first head of cattle, and UI faculty and students have started research projects at the ranch.

Research will include studies on using radio tracking devices to monitor cattle from ranches to feedlots and packing plants, as well as determining how genetics may affect meat quality and taste. The center also will monitor rangeland health factors, including water quality and noxious weeds.