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CapitalPress.com
January 29, 2016
Rice: A staunch defender of farming
Jim Rice, a lawyer,
sees importance of
healthy agricultural
industry in Idaho
By SEAN ELLIS
Capital Press
BOISE — Sen. Jim Rice
is not a farmer or rancher, as
most chairmen of agriculture
committees in the Idaho Leg-
islature have been.
Growing up in the Kuna
area of Southwestern Idaho,
he was the only male student
in his freshman high school
class who didn’t belong to
FFA.
But many of his neighbors
were farmers, he moved irri-
gation pipe as a youngster,
and he gained an appreciation
for agriculture at a young age.
He still points out which crops
are growing in fields to pas-
sengers when driving through
farm country.
“Agriculture is a huge
portion of our economy,” the
Caldwell Republican said.
“It’s something that is vital
to our state’s economy, and it
will remain vital.”
Heading into his second
session as chairman of the
Idaho Senate Agricultural
Affairs Committee, Rice has
built a reputation as a staunch
defender of farming and
ranching.
“Senator Rice has been re-
ally supportive of agriculture
and he’s a quick learner,” said
Sean Ellis/Capital Press file
Sen. Jim Rice, R-Caldwell and chairman of the Idaho Senate Agri-
cultural Affairs Committee, has spoken out in defense of Treasure
Valley irrigators in their battle with the state. Rice, an attorney, has
earned a reputation as a staunch defender of agriculture.
Sen. Jim Rice
Sean Ellis/Capital Press
Sen. Jim Rice, R-Caldwell, is the chairman of the Idaho Senate Agricultural Affairs Committee. Rice is
not afraid to use the chairman’s power to kill legislation that could harm agriculture.
Sen. Jim Patrick, a Republi-
can farmer from Twin Falls
and an ag committee member.
“I fully support him.”
When it comes to agricul-
ture and legislation, Rice be-
lieves less is better.
“Idaho’s done a good job
with agriculture,” he said.
“You don’t need to be doing
a bunch of legislation about
agriculture. In fact, if you
do, you’re probably going to
screw it up.”
The 50-year-old lawyer
was appointed to a Senate
seat in March 2012 by Gov.
Butch Otter. The upcoming
legislative session will be
his fourth full one, and he
has served on the ag com-
mittee every year.
Rice said he welcomed
the chance to chair the ag
committee because “we
need to make sure what we
do from a policy standpoint
doesn’t ... create problems
for agriculture. ... It’s im-
portant to get it right and
keep it right and not get off
into something that’s detri-
mental to agriculture.”
Rice said that if proposed
legislation threatens to harm
agriculture, he’s not afraid to
use the chairman’s power to
make sure it doesn’t go any-
where.
“If something is bad
enough for agriculture that
it needs to be retained in
a drawer, it should be,” he
said. “I think that’s one of
the reasons you want an ag
chair that really believes in
defending agriculture. You
don’t let attacks on agricul-
Position: Chairman of the
Idaho Senate Agricultural
Affairs Committee
Profession: Attorney
Background: Born in
Concord, Calif., raised in
Southwestern Idaho
Education: Juris doctor, Wil-
liam Howard Taft University
Family: Wife, Trish, eight
children, seven grandchildren
ture get heard.”
Rice has backed Trea-
sure Valley irrigators in their
battle with the state over
how flood control releases
from Boise River reservoirs
should be accounted for, and
he was also one of the lead-
ing voices in defending the
Idaho Agricultural Security
Act.
Food Producers of Idaho
Executive Assistant Benja-
min Kelly said Rice under-
stands rural issues and has
shown an appreciation for
the challenges private land-
owners face on a daily basis.
“Our farmers and ranch-
ers have always found him
willing to listen to the spe-
cific needs that face agri-
culture as well as act as a
sounding board in matters
that affect the entire state,”
Kelly said.
This story first appeared
on Jan. 8, 2016.
Agricultural voice speaks ‘farmer talk’
By SEAN ELLIS
Capital Press
MERIDIAN, Idaho — In
eight years, Benjamin Kel-
ly has gone from a former
suburban kid with no farm-
ing background to the lead-
er of several farm organiza-
tions and a major voice for
Idaho agriculture.
Kelly, 34, is the execu-
tive director of four farm
associations and lobbies
at the Idaho Legislature
for eight more.
He’s a private consultant
and president of his own
firm, Kelly Associates, and
serves as the executive as-
sistant for Rick Waitley,
executive director of Food
Producers of Idaho and
president of Association
Management Group, which
represents a several Idaho
ag groups.
Despite his non-farm
background, “(Kelly) has
been adopted by farmers
as a good spokesman for
agriculture,” said Meridian
farmer Drew Eggers. “He’s
very engaged and involved
and he does a great job rep-
resenting his clients in ag-
riculture as a whole.”
Born and raised in Me-
ridian in Southwestern Ida-
ho, Kelly graduated with
a bachelor’s degree in po-
litical science from Boise
State University and in-
terned with a lobbying firm
at the Idaho Legislature in
2007.
He was noticed by Wait-
ley, who offered to help him
with his resume but was
secretly taking note of his
abilities.
Waitley offered him a
job and Kelly’s first sev-
eral years were spent shad-
owing Waitley during his
work with Idaho Ag in the
Classroom and organizing
the annual Idaho Ag Sum-
mit and other farm-related
meetings, tours and events.
“Eventually I observed
that he was good at one
thing vital to our business
— ‘farmer talk,’” Wait-
ley said. “If you can’t talk
‘farmer talk’ to a produc-
er, you won’t survive. Any
farmer or rancher can sniff
out a fake.”
Waitley slowly handed
some of his clients over to
Kelly, who represents farm
groups during the legisla-
tive session on bills they’re
interested in and tries to
bring in farmers and ranch-
ers to testify when possible.
Dennis Tanikuni, assis-
tant director of governmen-
tal affairs for Idaho Farm
Bureau Federation, said
Kelly “does a lot of positive
Benjamin Kelly
Occupation: Private ag
industry consultant, lobbyist
Age: 34
Born: Meridian, Idaho
Education: Bachelor’s de-
gree in political science, Boise
State University
Family: Single
work for the industry ... and
I think he’ll be round for a
long time.”
Kelly said his biggest
surprises in this career have
been the high quality of the
people involved in agricul-
ture, and that he couldn’t
see himself working with
any other industry.
“In other types of busi-
nesses, there’s a cut-throat
atmosphere; I don’t find
that in agriculture,” he said.
“A lot of (farmers) do a lot
of stuff they don’t get paid
for and they’re doing it to
help out agriculture, Idaho
and their community.”
Kelly said his involve-
ment in agriculture hap-
pened by accident “but it
really was a fortunate acci-
dent.”
He believes the biggest
challenge facing agricul-
ture now is the industry’s
need to go on the offensive
about what farmers do.
“I think we need to find
a way to get past just be-
ing on the defensive about
our practices and what we
do and really ... get on the
offensive and be able to get
our message out there,” he
said.
This story first ap-
peared on Oct. 16, 2015.
Sean Ellis/Capital Press
Benjamin Kelly, a consultant and lobbyist for farm groups, stands in front of the Association Manage-
ment Group building in Meridian, Idaho, on Oct. 7. Though he grew up in the suburbs he has played
an ever-growing role representing farmers in the Capitol.
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Benjamin Kelly
comes from suburbs
to represent ag in
halls of state Capitol
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