Name: Angelo (Butch) Theos
Location: Meeker, Colo.
Operation: Theos Swallow Fork Ranch is a four-generation, family operation established in 1928 in Colorado. Theos, along with his wife, Karin, and son, Anthony, manage a range operation with 3,400 Cormo, cross-Merino ewes primarily on public, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and forest-service lands.
Why are you an ASI Guard Dog member? ?After being on some of ASI?s (American Sheep Industry Association) councils, I realized they needed some supplemental funding, and I thought the Guard Dog fund was a natural place to put our dollars. ASI has really helped our operation out a lot with the BLM and predator policies they helped establish. I really encourage those in the industry to become a Guard Dog member.?
How do you think the industry has benefited from the Guard Dog fund? ?The industry has benefited from ASI?s lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C., especially with the wool LDP (loan-deficiency payment) and lamb payments.?
What do you think are the industry?s needs in the future? ?The biggest challenge our industry faces is labor issues; I hope that ASI can find a less cumbersome and more streamlined approach for us to fill our labor needs. Inclusive of this would be the shearing crews. We also need stricter penalties for those immigrants that don?t fulfill their contracts.?