Killing this federal research grant at U of I hurts Idaho ag | Opinion
The land-grant system has enabled U.S. agriculture to achieve levels of success that have long been the envy and model for the rest of the world. One of the keystones of agricultural land-grant research institutions like University of Idaho is our ability to try new practices, test emerging technologies and take risks — which sometimes result in failure. Our agricultural producers do not have the luxury of failure. If they try a new agricultural practice, and it fails, that means lost revenue and less food on our plates.
The recently terminated Innovative Agriculture and Marketing Partnership for Idaho (IAMP) project had created a public, private, tribal partnership to increase the adoption of sustainable agriculture practices across Idaho and assist farmers and ranchers in building new and potentially more lucrative markets for their products. Research goals included reducing greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining or boosting productivity and sustainability of seven of Idaho’s largest commodities. IAMP incentives to producers were designed to mitigate the risk of implementing new practices that, if successful, could transform farming operations.
Replicated plots, including controls that duplicate traditional grower practices, would have been implemented through the IAMP project on every enrolled farm — a powerful approach to allow growers, researchers and buyers of commodities to understand the benefits of these alternative agricultural practices and whether they should become part of normal farming operations.
Agriculture can no longer do business as usual. Consumer preferences are changing, which means that Idaho agriculture must change. There is increased interest in how crops are grown and their impact on the environment. Our goal through IAMP was to provide technical, financial and marketing support to farmers across the state interested in moving into these new markets to appeal to these consumer preferences.
Over half of IAMP funding was allocated for direct incentive payments to producers — which met the stipulations of the original grant program. The rest of the grant, excluding direct administrative costs associated with managing a grant and research of this magnitude, was earmarked for direct, continued support to producers — saving them the expense of contracting technical and marketing services independently.
The foundation had been built, and the project was just picking up steam when the termination notice came in. Over 200 Idaho producers had applied, representing seven different commodities and 34 counties. Benchmark farms were established in Aberdeen, Kimberly and Moscow to help us collect data on incentivized practices, including reducing soil tillage, using alternatives to inorganic fertilizers and prescribed grazing. The data, combined with data collected from enrolled producers across the state, would have helped our researchers quantify the environmental benefits of approved practices conducted under Idaho’s unique growing conditions. It would have provided our farmers with individual/county-specific data on what does and doesn’t work for their crop rotations, allowing them to implement new practices with a higher degree of certainty of environmental impact, crop yield and cost benefits of the practices.
Our hope is that this termination is just a slight pause on the project. The new Advancing Markets for Producers (AMP) Initiative has many of the same goals as IAMP, including helping farmers expand into new markets. The original grant met the requirements of the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program from USDA/NRCS. We don’t yet know the criteria for the AMP Initiative, but if it also has growers at the forefront and we can meet the research objectives, we are confident we can align with the updated priorities in a revised proposal. Since its inception, IAMP’s purpose was to support farmers — by providing direct financial and technical support and applied research data to equip them to make the best decisions for their operations.
It’s imperative that Idaho growers aren’t left out of this opportunity. The IAMP project is too valuable to Idaho to give up — it exemplifies a comprehensive strategy for sustainable agriculture, balancing environmental stewardship and economic viability.
There’s no question that our agricultural producers are some of the best stewards of our environment. Their livelihood depends on the health of the land on which they farm and ranch. By helping them apply these new practices we will ensure the sustainability of their operations for the future, while addressing consumer preferences and maximizing profits. It’s a win for everyone involved.