STUDENTS

weigh in-state student enrollment versus out-of-state enrollment, according to Tom Harnisch, State Higher Education Executive O cers Association vice president for government relations.

Because out-of-state students pay higher tuition, universities around the country have lobbied to lift enrollment caps on them as states’ overall spending on higher education has declined in recent years, he said. is year, for instance, North Carolina increased how many outof-state students its universities can lion pounds of ber each year that is used in a wide variety of products, according to the Colorado Department of Agriculture.

Shearing a sheep using mechanical shears to carefully cut the wool from the animal usually takes a couple of minutes and yields 11 to 13 pounds of wool per animal. e wool then is sorted for quality and bailed to be shipped and sold to wholesalers.

Colorado wool growers say they take great pride in the care they admit. e bill has passed the House and Senate and needs approval from Gov. Jared Polis. It is sponsored by state Sen. Dylan Roberts, a Democrat from Avon, Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, a Monument Republican, and state Reps. Judy Amabile, a Boulder Democrat, and provide their animals. Sheep must be shorn regularly to prevent excess wool from interfering with their ability to thermo-regulate. Excessive wool coats also make the sheep more vulnerable to becoming immobilized by physical obstacles in the environment and more susceptible to predator and parasite attacks.

Similar to what the Colorado bill proposes, some schools have increased merit aid while also increasing the overall number of out-of-state students on campus, he said. e change doesn’t mean there are fewer in-state students, Harnisch added, just a shift in the share of students not from the state.

Shearing generally takes place before the lambing season each spring in order to aid in lamb health and survival.

Shearing companies usually hire professionals from South America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and many other countries who are trained speci cally to remove the wool from the animals. is story is from e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support e Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com. e Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.