‘As bad as I’ve ever seen it.’ Horrible year for Idaho crop farmers
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Idaho agriculture splits in 2025: Livestock drives revenue; crops suffer.
- Crop prices collapse after oversupply, rising input costs and trade uncertainty.
- Livestock gains offset crop losses, pushing statewide cash receipts toward $11–12.5B.
It was a tale of two farms in Idaho. It was the best of years; it was the worst of years.
That’s according to University of Idaho agriculture economist Brett Wilder.
“As we look into 2025, the Idaho ag economy is really a story of two different ag economies,” Wilder told me in a phone interview. “We have the livestock sector and the crop sector.”
The livestock industry, which includes beef and dairy cattle, was booming, with all-time high beef prices and low feed costs. But the crop sector, such as corn, potatoes, wheat, barley and sugar beets, really took a hit this year.
That means that about 60% of all Idaho cash receipts, or gross revenues, in 2025 are going to be in beef and dairy.
That’s a complete reversal from just 10-15 years ago, when crops accounted for 60% of Idaho’s gross revenue, Wilder said.
“On the crop side, we’re seeing a very weak ag economy,” Wilder said. “On the livestock side, we’re seeing a very strong ag economy, and in fact, so strong it’s going to make it seem, if you just look at the top-level number, that the ag economy as a whole is doing well.”
Wilder is scheduled to present his findings during U of I’s annual Idaho Ag Outlook Seminar, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Dec. 17 at the Riverside Hotel, 2900 W. Chinden Blvd., in Boise. The seminar will include presentations from experts on a range of topics, including global trends, new policies affecting Idaho agriculture and outlooks for grain, alfalfa, dairy, beef, input costs and, of course, the all-important weather and precipitation.
Wilder said he didn’t have final numbers yet, but he expects cash receipts for Idaho agriculture this year to be between $11 billion and near an all-time high of $12.5 billion, thanks to the strong livestock sector.
“If you’re a state that doesn’t have livestock, it’s going to look real bad this year,” Wilder said. “If you are an operation that’s not diversified with livestock, it’s probably not looking great this year.”
Causes for crop downturn
The down year for crops can be attributed, in part, to lingering indirect effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Wilder said.
Idaho saw an oversupply of grains (wheat, barley, corn), potatoes and sugar beets, as farmers ramped up production when prices were high over fears of the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But global supply did not drop as expected, leading to a glut.
“We never lost that acreage in Ukraine, and now there is just a glut of grains,” Wilder said.
On top of that, nearly all farm input costs surged post-COVID. Expenses for supplies, repairs, machinery, equipment, fuel and labor rose 40% or more, and those have not dropped back down.
At the same time, consumer spending at the retail level did not keep up, Wilder said.
Idaho farmer’s perspective
Richard Durrant, owner of Big D Ranch in Kuna, has been farming all his life, and this year has been like no other.
“This is as bad as I have ever seen it,” Durrant told me in a phone interview. “Usually, potatoes, sugar beets, onions, one of those outlying crops are doing really good. But we have every crop as low as we’ve ever seen them.”
He echoed a lot of what Wilder told me: Record-high production for many crops (sugar beets, potatoes, onions) led to oversupply and depressed prices.
Prices fell so low, he said, that some farmers left potatoes in the ground, as harvesting costs would exceed profits.
The Idaho Farm Bureau sounded the alarm in a news release in November titled, “Farmers are facing dire times financially.”
The release noted that, according to North American Potato Market News, the average price that Idaho farmers received for 100 pounds of fresh Russet table potatoes in 2024 was $6.54. So far this year, that average price is $4.40 — a 33% decline.
After transportation and other expenses are factored in, Idaho farmers this year are receiving an average of $1.97 for each 100 pounds of potatoes they produce, according to the NAPM Grower Return Index. That’s compared to $7.19 in 2024.
The break-even point for Idaho potato farmers right now is about $9 per 100 pounds of potatoes they produce, said NAPM owner Ben Eborn. This means farmers are on average receiving way less for their potatoes than what it costs to grow them.
“When your break-even cost on potatoes is $10 per hundred pounds, and they’re offering you $2, it’s pretty tough,” southeast Idaho potato grower Ray Searle said in the press release.
Tariffs affecting Idaho farmers
Wilder said that President Donald Trump’s unpredictable trade policy and tariffs this year have played a role, as well. The volatility and uncertainty have made it difficult for crop producers to plan and sell their crops internationally.
Durrant said tariffs — especially with China — limited export markets for major crops like corn, soybeans and wheat, contributing to unsold surpluses.
“Trump’s promising some supplemental aid to come back to producers,” Durrant said. “I mean, we don’t really appreciate hand-outs. We just don’t like commodities being thrust into the trade wars.”
Good for livestock
The glut of some crops is actually helping the livestock side of the ag economy. Lower cost of feed means greater profit margins for ranchers and dairy farmers.
At the same time, cattle herds have shrunk in part because of drought in certain areas of the world, leading to skyrocketing prices for beef.
You might recall that just a few weeks ago, Westside Drive-In in Boise announced it was no longer going to offer its popular prime rib dinner because the cost of beef was just too high.
What’s the outlook for Idaho agriculture?
Durrant said he’s hopeful for a modest rebound in commodity prices, but unfortunately it might rely on some sort of disaster in another part of the world.
In the meantime, he said we might not see the real ramifications of this year’s poor performance until the spring, when farmers will need to meet with their lenders and renew their operating loans.
Wilder said that’s another pain point: Debt isn’t cheap anymore, like it was pre-COVID.
“I think the ag sector as a whole got a little too used to cheap debt and being able to borrow money at less than 5% for a very long time,” Wilder said.
Now, operating loans and equipment debt can be as high as 9-11%, he said.
Bankruptcy rates are starting to rise, Wilder said. They’re still at historical lows, but they’re trending up.
But Wilder said there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
“We’re starting to see potentially some increase in livestock numbers,” he said. “We won’t have confirmation until January, but we’re starting to see some crops move (upward).”
Scott McIntosh is the opinion editor of the Idaho Statesman. You can email him at smcintosh@idahostatesman.com or call him at 208-377-6202. Sign up for the free weekly email newsletter The Idaho Way.
