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CapitalPress.com
November 13, 2015
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Idaho
Wheat production fell in 2014, but quality improved
By SEAN ELLIS
Capital Press
BOISE — Idaho farm-
ers produced more commer-
cial-quality wheat in 2015
than they did in 2014 but over-
all production in the state was
down to its lowest level since
2007.
Idaho’s 2014 crop was se-
verely impacted by torrential
August rains that reduced
quality and resulted in about
20 percent of the crop being
sent to feed channels. About
2-3 percent ends up there in a
typical year.
There were no major qual-
ity issues this year but a long
stretch of triple-digit heat and
a bout of barley yellow dwarf
virus in winter wheat reduced
overall yields, according to in-
dustry officials.
“Compared to last year,
we’ll be down production-wise
but we’ll have more commer-
cial-quality wheat than we had
last year,” said Idaho Wheat
Commission Executive Di-
rector Blaine Jacobson. “The
quality is very good.”
According to USDA’s Na-
tional Agricultural Statistics
Service, 1.2 million acres of
wheat was planted in Idaho
during the 2015 season and
Gem State farmers produced
85.5 million bushels of wheat.
That’s down from 1.27
million planted acres and 93.7
million bushels in 2014 and
1.32 million acres and 103.6
million bushels in 2013.
Wheat yields averaged 77
bushels per acre in Idaho this
year, down from 78 and 82
bushels in 2014 and 2013,
respectively, and the low-
est yield level in Idaho since
2008.
The triple-digit heat oc-
curred during flowering in
a lot of areas and reduced
yields, Jacobson said.
While the heat affect-
ed yields, quality was good
in southwestern Idaho, said
Richard Durrant, owner of
Big D Ranch, a warehouse
and seed dealer that farms
1,100 acres near Meridian.
Farmers in this part of the
state were able to keep ad-
equate amounts of water on
their wheat crop, which result-
ed in low protein levels in soft
white wheat that are fetching
a premium of about 70 cents a
bushel, Durrant said.
“We definitely would have
NASS: Ag land values in Idaho
increased 5 percent in 2015
seen a lot higher yields (if not
for the heat) but in this area
people are paying some pretty
good premiums for low-pro-
tein soft white wheat,” he
said.
Farmers in East Idaho said
they were less affected by the
heat and reported both good
yields and quality.
“For the most part, wheat
production in (East) Idaho
was pretty good this year,”
said Ririe farmer Clark Ham-
ilton. “It was much, much
better than last year. I haven’t
cut that good of a crop in 15
years.”
“We had probably the best
crop we ever had,” said Ririe
farmer Gordon Gallup, whose
2014 crop was devastated
by the heavy August rains.
“We’re at about (5,000) feet
so the heat didn’t hurt us quite
as bad.”
Jacobson said the industry
expects to have a rebound in
total wheat production for the
2016 season.
“The positive thing is that
our sales of winter wheat seed
are up,” he said. “We do ex-
pect the crop will be larger
next year than what we had
this year.”
Proposed national park,
PCN top resolution list for
Idaho Farm Bureau meeting
By JOHN O’CONNELL
Capital Press
By SEAN ELLIS
Capital Press
BOISE — Ag land values
in Idaho rose 5.3 percent this
year, to an average of $3,200
per acre for all cropland.
USDA’s National Agri-
cultural Statistics Service es-
timates the average value of
irrigated farmland in Idaho
at $4,830 an acre in 2015, up
5 percent from 2014, and the
average value of non-irrigated
farmland at $1,400 an acre, a
6.1 percent increase over last
year.
NASS also showed the av-
erage value of pasture in Ida-
ho at $1,250 an acre in 2015,
up 2.5 percent over 2014.
Farmers were a bit sur-
prised that ag land values con-
tinued to rise, despite falling
commodity prices, but agri-
cultural economists and real
estate agents and assessors
mostly said the numbers make
sense.
“Values are strong,” said
Eric Stroschein, an appraiser
in Rabo AgriFinance’s Nampa
office. “Realtors say that they
have a lot more buyers than
sellers. It’s hard to believe
given that commodity prices
are in the tank (but) it makes
sense.”
University of Idaho Agri-
cultural Economist Ben Eb-
orn said there’s typically a lag
time of a year or two between
falling commodity prices and
their impact on farmland val-
ues.
“There’s no doubt land
values skyrocketed the last
few years (but) we’re proba-
bly due for a reality check,”
he said. The current land val-
ue numbers “are all based on
the good commodity prices
we’ve had.”
According to NASS, the
average ag land value in
Idaho has risen every year
since 2011 and has increased
30 percent since then, from
$2,470 an acre to $3,200.
The average value of irri-
gated cropland in Idaho has
increased from $3,820 an acre
Sean Ellis/Capital Press
Mint is harvested in a field near Wilder, Idaho, Sept. 4. According to USDA’s National Agricultural
Statistics Service, the average value of cropland in Idaho increased 5.3 percent this year.
in 2011 to $4,830 an acre in
2015, while the average val-
ue of non-irrigated cropland
has risen from $1,210 an acre
to $1,400 an acre during that
time.
Growers, including Rep.
Clark Kauffman, a Republi-
can farmer from Filer, were
surprised by the increase in ag
land values this year.
“I’m a little surprised it has
gone up,” Kauffman said. “I
can’t explain that.”
According to NASS, the
average value of all crop-
land in the United States in
2015 was $4,130 an acre, an
increase of 0.7 percent over
2014.
The Idaho data is based
on 163 in-person interviews
NASS enumerators conduct-
ed with Gem State farmers
in June. While being inter-
viewed for USDA’s June 30
crops report, farmers were
also asked about the current
market value of certain seg-
ments of land pre-identified
by NASS.
“It’s definitely farmers’
information being provided
to us,” said Vince Matthews,
director of the NASS Idaho
field office.
John Chidester, an inde-
pendent appraiser who as-
sesses ag land for counties
in Southeast Idaho, said he
doubts ag land values in Idaho
have increased since June.
Farmland values may have
increased as of the spring,
“but by now, I don’t think
they’re going up any more ...
since commodity prices really
started falling this spring and
summer,” he said. “I don’t
think they’re going down,
just holding steady.”
POCATELLO, Idaho —
Members of Idaho Farm Bu-
reau Federation will soon take
positions on issues includ-
ing establishing a Craters of
the Moon National Park, the
country-of-origin
labeling,
controversy over the state’s
pale cyst nematode eradica-
tion program, and labor strikes
or slowdowns at coastal ports.
The issues are included
among several resolutions
proposed by individual coun-
ties for members to consider
during the organization’s an-
nual meeting, Dec. 1-3 at the
Shoshone-Bannock Hotel in
Fort Hall.
Several speeches, awards
presentations and officer elec-
tions are also on the agenda.
Farm Bureau spokesman
John Thompson expects a pro-
posal to designate a national
park at the current Craters of
the Moon National Monument
will be the most contentious
resolution. Twin Falls County
Farm Bureau has proposed that
statewide Farm Bureau oppose
the change, but Thompson said
there are plenty of members
who also support it or believe
Farm Bureau should remain
neutral. Proponents believe the
change would increase tour-
ism and help struggling local
economies, and nothing would
be different but the name on
the signs.
Thompson explained some
Farm Bureau members worry
“something could happen that
affects agriculture and they re-
duce grazing access or some-
thing like that on the monu-
ment.”
Another hot topic will be a
proposal to change the organi-
zation’s position from support-
ing mandatory country-of-or-
igin labeling to endorsing
voluntary labeling, Thompson
said. Farm Bureau has sched-
uled a similar vote on products
containing genetically modi-
fied ingredients, proposing to
shift from opposing labeling to
supporting a voluntary nation-
By John O’Connell/Capital Press
John Thompson, a spokesman
for Idaho Farm Bureau Fed-
eration, discusses the orga-
nization’s annual convention,
scheduled for Dec. 1-3 in Fort
Hall, Idaho, from his office at
Farm Bureau’s state headquar-
ters in Pocatello.
al labeling standard.
Latah County has proposed
increasing from three to 10 the
maximum number of cows
allowed for raw milk produc-
tion without rigorous testing
requirements.
Latah, Clearwater and
Lewis counties have proposed
a resolution backing any leg-
islation to ban slowdowns or
strikes by unions at ship ports.
Regarding endangered spe-
cies, Farm Bureau is scheduled
to consider an endorsement of
removing federal protection
for the Greater Yellowstone
grizzly bear population.
Farm Bureau will also
weigh in on the state and fed-
eral program to eradicate pale
cyst nemotode, a harmful po-
tato pest only found in the U.S.
within a small area of Eastern
Idaho. Affected farmers say
chemicals to treat the nema-
todes have harmed their soil,
and they’ve endured costly
sanitation requirements, car-
rying a burden that should be
shared by the entire industry,
Thompson said.
The resolution reads: “We
support a federal and state pale
cyst nematode program that is
based on good science, stake-
holder participation and minimal
impact to grower operations.”
Pulse production down, prices inch upward
46-2/#5
KENDRICK, Idaho —
Pulse crop production in Idaho
plummeted this year because
of severe heat and lack of rain
during the growing season.
However, Idaho is a na-
tional leader in the produc-
tion of pulse crops — dry
peas, lentils and chickpeas
— and the sharply reduced
production is putting upward
pressure on prices.
“It’s not a good production
year,” said Kendrick farmer
Robert Blair, whose dry pea
production was significantly
below normal this year.
Blair and other pulse
farmers said a 10-day stretch
of 100-degree temperatures,
during bloom time, impact-
ed yields. A lack of moisture
during the growing season
exacerbated the problem.
“Here on the farm, we
went about three months with
no measurable rain,” Blair
said.
“On my farm, production
was way down,” said Mos-
cow farmer Craig Fleener,
who grows small chickpeas.
“It was too hot and too dry.”
Production of all pulse
crops in Idaho is down by
about one-third across the
board compared to normal,
said Dirk Hammond, admin-
istrative services manager for
George F. Brocke and Sons,
which processes peas, lentils
and chickpeas in Kendrick.
According to the USA Dry
Pea & Lentil Council, green
pea production in Idaho to-
taled 55.3 million pounds in
2015, down from 76 million
pounds in 2014. That’s de-
spite the fact growers planted
44,500 acres of green peas
this year, up from 42,561
acres last year.
Green pea yields averaged
1,242 pounds per acre this
year, down 30 percent from
1,785 last year.
“The last time we had a
(green pea yield) year like
that was in 1977,” said the
council’s executive director,
Tim McGreevy. “It was pret-
ty grim.”
Small lentil production in
Idaho totaled 13.4 million
pounds in 2015 versus 13.7
million pounds in 2014 and
yields averaged 812 pounds
an acre this year compared
with 1,132 last year.
Medium lentil production
totaled 8.4 million pounds,
down from 10 million pounds
in 2014, and yields averaged
682 pounds per acre this year
vs. 1,111 last year.
Idaho growers produced
42.6 million pounds of large
chickpeas in 2015, down
from 56.7 million pounds
in 2014 and yields averaged
1,151 pounds per acre vs.
1,337 last year.
Small chickpea produc-
tion in Idaho totaled 37.5
million pounds in 2015 vs.
39.3 million pounds in 2014
and yields averaged 1,200
pounds per acre this year,
compared with the 10-year
average of 1,483.
Washington experienced
a similar reduction in pulse
production. The two states
together produce about 85
percent of all chickpeas in the
country and about 20 percent
of all peas and lentils.
The silver lining to the re-
duced crop is that prices are
heading upward, McGreevy
said.
Lentils are trading at 38-
42 cents a pound and “we
haven’t seen that for quite a
while,” he said.
Chickpeas, at 29-32 cents
a pound, have inched up
since harvest.