Experts warn Idaho’s disappearing farmland requires urgent action. ‘We can save it.’
It’s no secret that Idaho — especially the Treasure Valley — is changing. As new houses and subdivisions in Kuna, Meridian, Nampa and Caldwell increasingly replace land that has been farmed or ranched for more than a century, the warnings from experts are bleak.
If the current rate of development continues, a Boise State University study estimates 200,000 acres of farm and ranch land will disappear from the Treasure Valley by 2100.
While not all parts of the state are growing as rapidly as the Treasure Valley and huge swaths of prime Idaho farm and ranch land remains largely unthreatened by development, such a dramatic loss could change the future of the state’s agricultural success.
In December, the Idaho Environmental Forum gathered a group of local and national experts in Boise to discuss the possibilities for preserving Idaho agriculture and slowing what they called a “crisis” facing the state.
All agreed — reversing the trend was possible if state and local leaders took action immediately.
“We can save it,” said Josie Erskine, Ada County Soil and Water Conservation District manager last week. “This is how we have to start thinking — not about the sadness of the loss but about the possibilities of how this can happen.”
Idaho farmland loss, by the numbers
Between 1982 and 2012, 294,000 acres of agricultural land in Idaho were converted to development, according to data from the Farmland Information Center and the National Resources Inventory. An additional 68,000 acres of forest land were converted to development during the same time period.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture records acres of farmland and crops in the Census of Agriculture, conducted every five years. The most recent data recorded in the 2017 ag census shows that Idaho’s total farm acreage dropped from 11.8 million acres to 11.7 million — a net loss of 100,000 acres over five years.
Despite the losses, the data shows that innovation and tenacity among Idaho farmers is keeping Idaho’s agriculture sector strong. Farm income went up across the state, farmers harvested more acres of crops in 2017 than in 2012 and 180 new farms were added to the state.
The face of Idaho agriculture is changing, too, Erskine pointed out. Women run one-third of Idaho farms and the USDA recorded 17,230 women working on Idaho farms and ranches in any position.
Data recorded in 2017 showed 387,320 acres of farmland in the Treasure Valley, spread across 3,593 farms in Ada and Canyon counties. But highly agricultural Canyon County lost more than 2,000 acres of irrigated farmland and grazing land from 2018 to 2019, based on the Canyon County Assessor’s records of land receiving agricultural exemptions from property tax.
“It’s important that rural people involved in agriculture realize that we get it,” said Teri Murrison, the administrator of the Idaho Soil and Water Conservation Commission. “That we see the trends and the challenges, and that we’re willing to work together with them to bring about changes that continue to make their lifestyle, their life’s work and their heritage work for them — but also for the community and the state at large.”
Possible solutions to preserve Idaho farm, ranch land
The panel of experts hosted by the Idaho Environmental Forum discussed several solutions that could protect Idaho’s key farm belts from development while still honoring property rights.
Conservation easements and aggressive comprehensive planning — not to mention local elected officials dedicated to upholding those plans despite tempting residential or industrial options — were all advocated as absolutely necessary. Conservation easements are landowner agreements or contracts that can protect the land from future development or preserve natural resources on the land, like water features.
Former Idaho state representative from Lemhi County, Merrill Beyeler, said conservation easements in conjunction with land trusts was a crucial part of the farmland preservation process. Beyeler, the chairman of the Lemhi Regional Land Trust, shared his experience of running a cattle ranch in Leadore, Idaho, with his family.
Amos Eno, the president of conservation organization LandCan, said some of these changes required a statewide plan. He said a crucial part of preserving the longevity of Idaho farms and ranches was keeping “working lands at work,” and not leaving prime agricultural land in disuse.
“Idaho needs an ag and cattle lands land trust,” Eno said.
Erskine echoed the call for action from state officials.
“One thing that the Ada Soil and Water Conservation District has learned is that we have to take action today, and that the power for this change lies in the hands of our politicians,” she said.
Erskine also insisted agricultural land would become one of the most precious natural resources in the future, largely because of the effect of arable soil on the climate.
In Canyon County, development staff have created an ag policy committee for the county’s comprehensive plan, searching for ways to preserve portions of the county’s key agricultural belts without infringing on the property rights of retiring farmers.
But the most effective way to keep ag land free of development? Keep farmers on their farmland, Erskine argued, and the industry accessible to young farmers. She told the crowd how even though she and her husband didn’t come from farming families, they eventually started Peaceful Belly Farms in Caldwell due to the attraction of working outside.
“They’ll come,” Erskine said. “People want to get back to the land ... They’ll come if we give them access to land, if we make land affordable. If we help them with that, the young people will come to the farms.”
This story was originally published December 13, 2019 at 5:00 AM.
