October 20, 2017
CapitalPress.com
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11
Idaho
Ag leaders provide chamber
members closer look at industry
By SEAN ELLIS
Capital Press
John O’Connell/Capital Press
Colden Baxter and Linda Engle, both of whom teach at Idaho State University, stand outside the ISU
Pond Student Union Building, one of three locations statewide where a climate conference they’re
helping to organize will be hosted.
Ag, economy to be emphasized at conference
dustry and businesses.”
The cost of attending the
conference is $29, and anyone
interested in attending may reg-
ister online at www.idahocli-
matesummit.com.
Organizers and sponsors in-
clude the Sierra Club, Monsan-
to, American Lung Association,
Idaho Power, Hewlett-Packard,
the state universities, DL Evans
Bank, the Idaho Department of
Fish and Game, Idaho National
Laboratory, Water Resourc-
es Research Institute, Upper
Snake River Tribes, Nez Perce
Tribe, Northwest Climate Sci-
ence Center, Potlatch Corp. and
Langdon Group. Organizers
anticipate the conference will
become an annual event.
Linda Engle, an ISU math
instructor involved in organiz-
ing the Pocatello conference,
said speakers and participants
will focus on the problem
during the first day, and offer
their suggested solutions and
coping strategies on the sec-
ond day. Boise-based Warm
Springs Consulting will pro-
duce a booklet documenting
the discussions.
Teunissen. “There simply is
not enough bodies to get the
work done.”
Bolz asked the panelists
where they see technolo-
gy taking agriculture in the
future and all four agreed
it would play an increasing
role.
Over the past 15 years,
“The growers that have
stayed in business are those
that have adopted technolo-
gy and I think that’s going to
continue,” said Idaho Wheat
Commission Executive Di-
rector Blaine Jacobson.
Teunissen said the use of
robotics in the dairy industry
is just getting started.
“That’s rapidly advanc-
ing, which will really help
with the labor situation,” he
said. “I expect it to really ac-
celerate in the next 10 years.”
Idaho Power representa-
tive Dennis Merrick said pre-
cision agriculture has already
helped farmers save money.
“Technology in irrigation
is going to become more
efficient and precise (in the
future),” he said. “I think it’s
going to benefit farmers quite
a bit.”
There was unanimous
agreement by the panelists
that the North American Free
Trade Agreement, which is
being renegotiated by the
U.S., Canada and Mexico,
has benefited agriculture and
is fine largely the way it is.
“It’s treated us pretty well
as far as the ability to move
cattle back and forth,” said
Idaho Cattle Association Ex-
ecutive Vice President Cam-
eron Mulrony. “We’d like
NAFTA to be left like it is.”
“I think among the agri-
culture industry, there is the
near unanimous opinion that
NAFTA is good,” Jacobson
said.
When it comes to pre-
serving farmland, panelists
said growers are split on that
issue, with some wanting to
protect agricultural ground
and others adamant about
protecting their right to sell
to developers if they choose.
“It’s a very controversial
subject in the farming com-
munity,” Teunissen said.
Fundraiser Provides Blue
Jackets to FFA Members
Tim Hearden/Capital Press
BOISE — Idaho’s agricul-
tural and business leaders will
offer their insight about climate
change and how to cope with it
during a conference scheduled
for Nov. 16 and 17 at the state’s
three public universities.
Safeguarding Idaho’s Econ-
omy in a Changing Climate
— Our Water, Our Land, Our
Health, Our Future will feature
speakers at Boise State Univer-
sity, whose presentations will
be streamed live at the Univer-
sity of Idaho in Moscow and
Idaho State University in Po-
catello. Break-out sessions for
participants — including one
on management of agriculture
and rangeland in a changing cli-
mate — will be hosted during
both afternoons at all three ven-
ues.
Several speakers come from
agricultural backgrounds. Lynn
Tominaga, executive director
of Idaho Ground Water Appro-
priators Inc., will participate in
a panel discussion on planning
for changes in water availabil-
ity and quality and the timing
and type of precipitation.
Karen Launchbaugh, direc-
tor of the UI Rangeland Center,
will serve on a panel discussing
the true cost of wildfire. Erik
Gonring, of Simplot Plant Sci-
ences, and Rich Berger, with
Clif Bar, will serve on a panel
devoted to innovative solutions
by Idaho’s industrial leaders.
Scott Lowe, an economist
and associate dean of BSU’s
graduate college, has re-
searched how Idaho farmers are
shifting toward rotations with
more drought-tolerant crops as
the Western climate becomes
more variable. Lowe, who has
promoted the conference to
BSU students, believes empha-
sizing thoughts and possible
solutions offered by business-
men who “deal with climate
change on a daily basis” is the
“natural next step” in the dia-
logue.
“Often you hear from the
academics and the scientists,”
Lowe said. “Regardless of
what they’re saying, I think it’s
important to have a dialogue
where the voices are from in-
By Tim Hearden
Capital Press
Having met its $6,500 goal last year, the California FFA Foundation
will again raise money for blue corduroy jackets for students who can’t
afford to purchase them.
The Nov. 28 fundraiser is tied to Giving Tuesday, a United Nations
Foundation-sponsored movement to encourage philanthropy at the
beginning of the holiday season.
State FFA leaders saw a need last year as many students have had to
borrow jackets from their chapters for competitions and events,
foundation development director Katie Otto has said.
Last year, the group raised enough to give a jacket with a tie or scarf to
100 students.
“Your gift will provide an FFA member with the opportunity to
experience the pride and passion of wearing the iconic blue and gold
jacket,” the organization states on its website.
The push started during the run-up to last year’s Big Day of Giving in
the Sacramento area, during which local residents and businesses donated
more than $22,000 to support FFA and agricultural education. This year’s
Big Day of Giving on May 4 raised another $10,459 for FFA.
In all, about 40,000 donors gave almost $7.2 million to nearly 600
nonprofit organizations on that day, according to organizers.
Started in 2012, Giving Tuesday always falls on the Tuesday after
Thanksgiving, on the heels of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
For information and to donate, visit www.calaged.org/givingtuesday.
In other California FFA news:
Breanna Holbert, a 2015-16 state secretary and current national officer
candidate, recently joined employees of the state FFA foundation to
engage with industry leaders at the annual CropLife America conference.
The meeting Sept. 22-27 in Dana Point, Calif., focused on agricultural
innovation and included a program that explored the ways technology
moves “food forward,” according to its website.
Holbert made remarks about the value of advocacy, leadership and the
impact that CropLife America members have on the future of the
industry, according to the state FFA’s Facebook page.
CropLife America, which is also known as the American Crop
Protection Association, is a trade organization that represents
manufacturers, formulators and distributors of pesticides.
Current California FFA state officers (from left) Jasmine
Flores, Genevieve Regli, Luke O’Leary, Armando
Nevarez, Robert Marchy and Hunter Andrade pose for
photos in Fresno in April. The state FFA will hold its
second annual fundraiser in conjunction with national
Giving Tuesday on Nov. 28, raising money to purchase
jackets for members who can’t afford them.
Tim Hearden/Capital Press
Capital Press
Sean Ellis/Capital Press
Idaho Cattle Association Executive Vice President Cameron
Mulroney talks about issues the state’s farming community faces,
Oct. 10 during a meeting of the Caldwell Chamber of Commerce.
He was joined by Idaho Wheat Commission Executive Director
Blaine Jacobson, left, and dairyman Bernie Teunissen.
A trailer with the California FFA takes supplies to
organization events.
The audience at the
annual California
FFA Leadership
Conference is a sea
of blue jackets. The
California FFA
Foundation is again
tying a fundraiser to
Giving Tuesday in an
effort to help
students who can’t
afford their own blue
corduroy jackets.
Tim Hearden/Capital Press
By JOHN O’CONNELL
CALDWELL, Idaho — A
panel of farm industry lead-
ers provided members of the
Caldwell business communi-
ty a look at some of the ma-
jor issues and challenges the
state’s farming community
faces.
The Oct. 10 event was
sponsored by the Nam-
pa-Caldwell Agribusiness
Committee and attracted
about 90 members of the
Caldwell Chamber of Com-
merce.
The purpose of the event
was to give members of the
business community who
might not be involved in
agriculture a greater under-
standing of the industry and
the challenges it faces, said
agribusiness member Dar-
rell Bolz, who moderated the
panel discussion.
“It’s really to give them a
little broader perspective on
what’s going on in agricul-
ture,” he said.
Nampa, Idaho’s third-larg-
est city, and Caldwell, which
ranks sixth in population, are
located in Canyon County,
one of the state’s more di-
verse farming counties.
While one of the state’s
smallest counties in area,
Canyon County ranks No. 5
out of the state’s 44 counties
in total farm cash receipts.
Jim Thomssen, a member
of the Caldwell chamber’s
board of directors, said the
annual event is also held to
“make sure everybody knows
what a great part of the econ-
omy agriculture is.”
The panel discussed a
wide range of topics, includ-
ing the industry’s struggles
with finding enough workers.
“Labor is a big challenge
for us right now,” said Be-
ranna Dairy owner Bernie
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