SWANLAKE - In a snow-covered farm field south of Downey, officials with Idaho Fish and Game are involved in an elk feeding and trapping program with high stakes.

The elk have co-mingled with cattle on nearby ranches, raising the specter of the disease spreading to livestock. If that were to happen, the ramifications could be devastating for affected ranchers. It would also hurt Idaho's multibillion-dollar cattle industry because the U.S. Department of Agriculture would strip the state of its brucellosis-free status, leading to increased testing costs for beef and dairy cows and restrictions for transporting them out of Idaho.

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