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DAIRY SPECIAL SECTION INSIDE FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 2017 VOLUME 90, NUMBER 22 WWW.CAPITALPRESS.COM $2.00 “The development pressure around here is huge.” Farmer Neil Durrant SAVING THE FARMS Sean Ellis/Capital Press Farmer Neil Durrant gets ready to cut hay in a fi eld near Kuna, Idaho, on May 26. Durant has turned down offers from developers for his farmland but a lot of other farm- ers in southwestern Idaho haven’t. BELOW: Farmer Glen Edwards feeds cows May 26 at his farm in Ada County in southwestern Idaho. By SEAN ELLIS Efforts grow to preserve ag land in Idaho and across the West Capital Press OISE — Ada County farmer Glen Ed- wards is in the middle of the battle to stem the loss of farmland in southwestern Idaho. He understands and supports the need to keep high-quality farmland in production. But Edwards, who grows hay, wheat and barley and raises beef cattle and dairy replacement heifers, also said he supports a farmer’s right to do whatever he chooses with his land, including selling it for de- velopment. “If a developer walked in here and offered me a huge carrot that I couldn’t resist, I’d probably take it,” he said. “This farm is my retirement. When I retire, I have to have something to live on.” This tension weighs heavily on the minds of many farmers. They understand the need to preserve farm- land, but they also believe their property rights must be preserved. With farmland rapidly disappearing in some parts of Idaho’s Treasure Valley, several B Turn to FARMS, Page 12 Farmers seek to capitalize on eclipse Capital Press SWAN VALLEY, Idaho — Peter Zitlau hopes a once-in- a-lifetime celestial event will help him generate an income stream to offset a disappoint- ing year for crop and cattle revenue. He’s one of several East- ern Idaho farmers and ranch- ers seeking to capitalize from an infl ux of visitors expected in the region for the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse. Area municipal and coun- ty planners are bracing for tens of thousands of tourists anticipated over a three-day period to view the Snake River Plain’s fi rst total solar eclipse in more than 400 years. Though hotels and established campsites have long since fi lled, farmers and ranchers vow to provide options for the crowd, converting their land into temporary campgrounds. Agricultural landowners are quoting camping rates of $150 to $200 per night. Turn to ECLIPSE, Page 12 Coeur d’Alene Farmers and ranchers in Eastern Idaho counties within the path of the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse — the first the Snake River Plain has experienced in more than 400 years — plan to make extra money by offering up their land for temporary camping. For more information, go to: www.co.fremont.id.us/eclipse2017/eclipse.html www.rexburgeclipse.com/about-rexburg/ www.co.jefferson.id.us/eclipse.php Lewiston Jefferson, Madison, Bonneville and Fremont counties Totality at 11:27 a.m.; duration: 2 min., 13 sec. PAT H O F T O TA LI Totality at 11:30 a.m.; duration: 2 min., 16 sec. Source: greatamericaneclipse.com Totality at 11:33 a.m.; duration: 2 min., 19 sec. TY Pocatello Alan Kenaga/Capital Press Oregon’s wolf management plan may come to resemble Idaho’s By ERIC MORTENSON Capital Press The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Com- mission heard from dozens of people with diametrically opposed views when it took its wolf plan review on the road to hearings in Klamath Falls and Portland this spring. When the commission sits down with ODFW staff June 8 in Salem, members will sift those viewpoints with their own to determine how the state will manage a top pred- ator that wasn’t here when the plan was fi rst adopted a dozen years ago. Adoption of a fi ve- year plan is expected late this year. Potential changes are on the distant horizon. Ultimate- ly, the state will decide wheth- er wolves are hunted like cougars and bears, whether USDA’s APHIS Wildlife Ser- vices — loathed by conserva- tion groups — will investigate livestock attacks, whether to give livestock producers more leeway to kill wolves, wheth- er to set population caps, and more. A model of where Ore- gon’s wolf management may be headed can be found in Idaho, which was the source of the fi rst wolves to enter Oregon and has much more experience balancing the presence of an apex predator with the interests and eco- nomic well-being of hunters and livestock producers. Turn to WOLF, Page 12 EVER WONDERED WHAT TO DO WITH THAT OLD, WORN OUT COMMODITY TRAILER? Our Rebin Program can turn your old trailer into a new trailer! We will remove all working mechanical parts, and replace the bin with a new Stainless Steel STC Bin on your existing running gear. All parts deemed reusable are reinstalled on the new bin. All of this at the fraction of the cost of a new trailer! WWW.STCTRAILERS.COM 494 W. Hwy 39 Blackfoot, ID 83321 208-785-1364 22-2/#16 By JOHN O’CONNELL Total eclipse in Idaho