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Rep. Cory Gardner

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Cleon Kimberling. Dr. Kimberling was recently honored by Colorado State University's Department of Animal Science as the livestock leader of the year.

Dr. Kimberling is now 81 years old and has dedicated his life to improving livestock health. He received a degree in veterinary medicine from Colorado State in 1959 and since that time has made significant contributions to the veterinary science field.

One of Dr. Kimberling's achievements includes developing tests that contributed to the eradication of brucellosis in the dairy industry. He has also successfully advocated for different nutrition standards for sheep, leading to an overall increase in the health of our sheep herds nationwide.

His dedication to animal health started at a very young age when an outbreak of disease occurred on his farm. Since that point, he has dedicated a lifetime to veterinary medicine, stopping disease outbreaks and advocating prevention.

Aside from his medical successes, he is also an avid cyclist. In fact, his business card states that he specializes in both sheep health and bicycling. At 65, Dr. Kimberling completed a bike trip from Oceanside, California, to Bar Harbor, Maine. This trip was over 3,500 miles long.

His support for agriculture has helped many farmers and ranchers prevent disease and improve our livestock industry. These stories highlight an amazing man, and I am proud to honor Dr. Cleon Kimberling from the House floor.