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CapitalPress.com
December 23, 2016
Idaho
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Irrigators consider leasing
water from Power County
AMERICAN FALLS, Ida-
ho — Plans to build a large
fertilizer plant here have ap-
parently fallen through, but
local farmers may still ben-
efit from the water rights
secured by the project’s
backers.
Unable to secure nearly $3
billion for construction, offi-
cials of Texas-based Magnida
approached Power County
shortly before the November
election offering to sell the
two senior groundwater rights
they’d purchased for the
proposed nitrogen fertilizer
plant.
About 80 percent of coun-
ty voters approved $8 million
in 30-year bonds toward the
$10 million purchase of the
groundwater rights, which
have 1949 and 1951 priority
dates, for a combined 6,153
acre-feet. An acre-foot is the
amount of water needed to
flood a football field a foot
deep.
Magnida transferred the
rights, formerly held by FMC
Corp.’s phosphate plant near
Pocatello, to its industrial
park site in anticipation of
building the plant.
Doug Balfour, an attorney
representing Power County
on the agreement, said March
1 is the anticipated closing
date for the water rights pur-
chase, but the county has al-
ready begun discussions with
several parties interested
in leasing the groundwater.
He met with the Aberdeen
American Falls Ground Wa-
ter District’s leadership on
Dec. 15.
The district may lease
Happy
Holidays
to all
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and
advertisers!
some of the water to help mit-
igate a roughly 12 percent an-
nual reduction in groundwater
use required under the terms
of a 2015 water call settle-
ment with the Surface Water
Coalition.
The water could also help
the cities of American Falls
and Rockland compensate for
groundwater use reductions
required to satisfy the coali-
tion’s water call.
Some large farms and ag-
ricultural processors have also
inquired about the water.
Balfour said the rights are
appraised at $13 million.
“It looks like it was a very
good, timely purchase for
Power County,” Balfour said.
“I just spoke with a person
who sold his water rights in
the area for $4,500 per acre-
foot. We paid a little under
$2,000 per acre-foot.”
Power County Commis-
sioner Ron Funk said the
county’s primary interest is
having water available for any
businesses interested in locat-
ing in the community.
“If we have another busi-
ness come and it needs water,
it would be pretty difficult to
get a water right anymore,”
Funk said. “If you’ve been
following water in Idaho, you
know it’s becoming more and
more of a scarce commodity.”
Tim Deeg, president of
Idaho Ground Water Appro-
priators Inc., predicts more
land in his area will be taken
out of production because of
the settlement. He believes
leasing some of the water
could curb lost acreage. Deeg
said water leased by the dis-
trict would likely be applied
to help all members slightly
reduce their cutbacks.
Sean Ellis/Capital Press
Farmworkers harvest wine grapes near Caldwell, Idaho, in August. The Idaho Department of Labor proj-
ects that the total number of farming jobs in the state will increase by several thousand by 2024.
Number of Idaho ag jobs projected to
increase by several thousand through 2024
By SEAN ELLIS
Capital Press
BOISE — The number of
jobs in Idaho’s agricultural in-
dustry is expected to increase
by several thousand by 2024.
That’s according to long-
term industry and occupation-
al projections released by the
Idaho Department of Labor.
The IDL projects Idaho’s
overall job market will grow
by 20 percent, to 831,024, by
2024 when compared with a
base employment of 693,716
in 2014.
That works out to an an-
nual job growth rate of 1.8
percent, which is three times
the national projection of 0.6
percent over that same period,
according to IDL.
The IDL projects jobs in
the “ag, forestry, fishing and
hunting” category will in-
crease by 4,294 through 2024,
with most of that job growth
occurring in the farming in-
dustry.
IDL
economist
Bob
Uhlenkott said Idaho’s rapid
population growth is the main
factor in the job growth pro-
jections. Idaho’s population
growth rate is greater than
most other states and is pro-
jected to continue to outgrow
them, he said.
“Economic growth is typ-
ically driven by population ...
and we feel pretty bullish on
Idaho’s population growth,”
he said. “That’s really what’s
driving it.”
The IDL projects total jobs
in the “ag, forestry, fishing
and hunting” category will
reach 27,755 in 2024, an in-
crease of 4,294 over today.
The IDL projects crop pro-
duction jobs will total 9,823
in 2024, up from 8,538 now,
while animal production jobs
will reach 11,452 in 2024, up
from 9,728 now.
Uhlenkott said several dif-
ferent models, some sophis-
ticated, were used to arrive
at the projections and they
include individual factors for
different industries.
The IDL projections also
forecast job growth by occu-
pations within industries and
the department projects the
number of agricultural in-
spectors will increase by 48,
to 265, and the number of
graders and sorters of agricul-
tural products is projected to
increase by 197, to 1,823.
The IDL projects agri-
cultural equipment operator
jobs will total 1,617 by 2024,
up from 1,219 today, and the
number of post-secondary ag
science teachers will total 27,
up from 23 today.
It projects the number of
buyers and purchasing agents
of farm products will total
152 in 2024, up 23 over to-
day.
Value of Idaho ag exports down
15 percent through third quarter
One of the real joys
of the holiday season
is the opportunity to
say thank you for your
loyalty and wish you all
a prosperous new year.
52-1/#13
By SEAN ELLIS
Capital Press
SAGE Fact #136
The Coyote Springs cogeneration plant, operated
by Portland General Electric, burns natural gas to
generate both electricity and steam. Food
processors and other businesses in the Port of
Morrow purchase steam for use in their facilities
reducing electricity and natural gas costs.
52-2/#6
BOISE — The value of
Idaho agricultural exports was
down 14.9 percent through
the third quarter of 2016 when
compared with the same period
in 2015.
Idaho ag exports were off 36
percent when compared with
the same period in 2014, when
Idaho farm product exports set
an annual record of $1.02 bil-
lion.
According to the state De-
partment of Agriculture, the
value of Idaho farm products
exported to other nations to-
taled $511 million through the
end of September, down from
$600 million in 2015 and $795
million in 2014.
University of Idaho Agricul-
tural Economist Garth Taylor
said a strong U.S. dollar, record
world production of several
major farm commodities, abun-
dant stocks and Russia’s boy-
cott of some European Union
farm commodities are factors
contributing to a weak global
agricultural export market.
“There are still very, very
weak export markets ... and
that’s going to be here for a
couple of years, at least,” he
said.
There was some good news
in the ISDA’s latest quarterly
Idaho ag export report.
The total value of farm
product exports to Canada, the
state’s No. 1 foreign market
for ag sales, increased 6.6 per-
cent to $134 million through
the third quarter, and exports
included under the “miscella-
neous grain and seed category”
increased 5.9 percent to $93
million.
But the value of Idaho dairy
exports through the third quar-
ter totaled $91 million, down
46 percent from 2015 and off
68 percent compared with the
same period in 2014, when
dairy export value totaled $288
million.
The value of Idaho vegeta-
ble exports totaled $81 million
through the third quarter, down
7 percent from 2015, exports
labeled under the “milling, malt
and starch” category totaled
$69 million, down 12 percent,
and preserved food exports
totaled $55 million, down 14
percent.
Besides Canada, ag exports
to five of Idaho’s next six big-
gest foreign markets were
down.
Ag exports were down: 8
percent to Mexico ($125 mil-
lion), 13 percent to China ($39
million), 48 percent to South
Korea ($25 million) 29 percent
to Japan ($21 million) and 2
percent to Spain ($11 million).
ROP-40-42-4/#17
Capital Press
52-2/#7
By JOHN O’CONNELL
52-2/#7