Ag Proud - Idaho

02/17/2025

Voles populations are on the rise across southern Idaho. A few producers share their experience with using owl boxes for rodent control. 🦉

Read their experience here ⬇️

Owl boxes, which are small, usually wooden, boxes built to accommodate owl nesting, have been utilized on agricultural land to help with the reduction of voles and the damage they cause. Studies by the University of Idaho show that an average barn owl family (two adults and five owlets) nesting near...

02/12/2025

Meet the faces behind the kettle-cooked potato chip brand "roots" — but beyond that, this family is focused on sustainable practices that improve soil health and, of course, the root system. The Nature Conservancy in Idaho

Read their full story here! ⬇️

At Ladd Wahlen Farms, it begins with roots (small r) and ends with Roots (capital R).

02/11/2025

Another month of Idaho stories and Idaho faces. Do you see anyone you know in the February issue?

Subscribe for free to stay up-to-date on all ag, all Idaho, all the time.
👉 www.agproud.com/idaho

02/10/2025

Idaho is stepping up wolf management with new initiatives to reduce livestock losses. Backed by state programs and private funding, ranchers now have more tools to combat wolf-related depredation. Learn more here. ⬇️

In 2023, the Idaho Wolf Depredation Control Board announced a new initiative to control wolves on private property and approved spending up to $50,000 per year for producers to undertake wolf removal projects – with board approval.

02/05/2025

💧 New Water Mitigation Agreement Finalized 💧
Magic Valley surface water and Snake Plain Aquifer groundwater users have reached a new agreement. What are the key provisions? We break it down here. ⬇️

“Well, I think the sign of any good agreement is that nobody's happy,” says Travis Thompson, an attorney for the Surface Water Coalition (SWC). “That way you know something's been done right.

01/30/2025

A big thank you to this month's advertisers for supporting Ag Proud – Idaho! 🌾 Your partnership helps us share the stories of Idaho’s agriculture community. We appreciate you! 💚
Spring Cove Ranch Robert Jones Realty Valley Wide Cooperative Campbell Tractor Company Magic Valley Insurance Les Schwab Tire Centers Titan Steel Elkington Polled Herefords Elkington

01/19/2025

By now the January issue should've been in your mailbox! If not, this might be your sign to renew.

Subscribe for free to stay up-to-date on all ag, all Idaho, all the time.
👉 www.agproud.com/idaho

January 10, 2025 Ag Proud Idaho digital magazine

01/17/2025

“Last year, I was doing a few things here on a late night in January, and there was a blizzard outside. I didn’t realize how bad the weather was until I stepped outside. The cows didn’t know any different. The robots didn’t know any different. It was amazing,” says Cameron Turner about his family’s new facility in Cassia County.

🐄 Read their story here!

Winter work days are much better for dairyman Cameron Turner this year. This is the second winter he and his family’s dairy will be milking cows with robots in an enclosed barn. Their new dairy was finished in the fall of 2023.

01/16/2025

Agronomists share insights on the year's crop performance, from surprisingly good potato quality to increased winter wheat acres, despite economic pressures and rising input costs.

🔗 Read the full article for a closer look at how Idaho producers navigated the ups and downs of this agricultural year. Simplot Grower Solutions Valley Agronomics LLC Ag Idaho Consulting LLC
#2024

“Overall, it was an average to average-plus year,” says Terry Helms of Simplot Grower Solutions in Oakley. Helms has been an agronomist in south central Idaho since 1985 and deals with a range of crops including potatoes, sugarbeets, corn, dry beans and small grains.

01/13/2025

Another month of Idaho stories and Idaho faces. Do you see anyone you know?

You won't want to miss the January issue as we reflect on 2024 and look ahead to 2025. Subscribe for free to stay up-to-date on all ag, all Idaho, all the time.
👉 www.agproud.com/idaho

01/09/2025

Fertilizer prices stabilized in 2024 after steep declines in 2023 but remained higher than pre-pandemic levels.📉 Explore how supply, demand and policy shifts could shape 2025 in this report by the University of Idaho Extension.

Following the historical high prices of 2021 and 2022, fertilizer prices significantly declined in 2023 as supply chain disruptions eased. This trend largely continued into 2024.While prices have stabilized, they remain elevated compared to pre-pandemic levels.

01/06/2025

Idaho agriculture in 2024: Record highs for livestock, but crops face challenges. Explore how commodities like milk, potatoes and cattle performed and their impact on the state's economy in this report by the University of Idaho Extension.

Cash receipts for livestock and crops in 2024 are estimated at $11.3 billion, a 4% increase over 2023. Cash receipts for milk, Idaho’s leading agricultural commodity, were estimated to be 11% higher than 2023. Those for potatoes, Idaho’s highest revenue crop, were estimated to be 6% lower than 2...

01/04/2025

Can you even call yourself a chicken lady with just one bird? 🐔

One bird means it’s basically a hen lady situation now — just one step away from being called an old hen (and that’s way too close for comfort! 😅).

Tag a chicken-lover you know in this month's column by Michele Coleman. 🐓✨

Having only one chicken has put me in an awkward position. Can I even call myself a chicken lady anymore? Can I wear my chicken pajamas? Can I buy the chicken socks I’ve had my eye on? I’m guessing not. If my grammatical calculations are correct, owning one bird means I should be called a hen la...

01/02/2025

Using drones to spray weeds is gaining in popularity. Don’t miss one of our top 10 most-viewed articles for 2024.

Today, drones have the ability to spray herbicides, pesticides and fungicides at 8 feet off the ground. They also can spread solids like seeds, bugs and compost. They do it quietly, quickly and precisely.

12/30/2024

A heartfelt thank-you to the businesses that make Ag Proud – Idaho possible! 🎄 Your support keeps this resource free for our readers. Don’t forget to check out the December issue and consider these businesses for your ag needs! 👏

Valley Wide Cooperative Campbell Tractor Company Agri-Service Farmers Bank Claudia Escobedo at Con Paulos Chevrolet Magic Valley Auction LLC Robert Jones Realty Staheli West Inc. Precision Grain Systems, Inc. Modern Machinery Rick's Welding, Inc./PowerLift Hydraulic Doors Stinger Inc. Magic Valley Insurance Les Schwab Tire Centers Intermountain Fabrication LLC

12/23/2024

They're calling it one of the worst fire seasons in over two decades. Read how it has impacted Southwest Idaho in this article. 👇 Idaho Cattle Association

Devastating damage for livestock owners across southwest Idaho is prompting land and fire managers from multiple agencies to declare this year’s fire season the worst in over two decades.

12/21/2024

See any familiar faces? Check out the December issue of Ag Proud – Idaho for lots of great people and great stories!

Subscribe for free to stay up-to-date on all ag, all Idaho, all the time.
👉 www.agproud.com/idaho

12/19/2024

Here’s another for you!

This topic made our top 10 most-viewed articles this year. If you're an Idaho grower, this is a must read. 👀 Simplot Grower Solutions

Every farming season brings us new challenges, and 2023 brought us glyphosate-resistant (GR) Palmer amaranth, a new type of pigweed in Idaho. The ramifications of identifying GR Palmer amaranth have the potential to alter current cropping systems in Idaho.