As the average age for Idaho producers slowly rises – 56.6 years old in 2022, according to USDA – Milo is among the 9% of Idaho’s farmers and ranchers under age 35. “In the 30-mile radius around our farm, there are not a lot of young farmers,” he says. “There’s maybe three coming back to farm with dad, including me.” It’s no wonder, with commodity prices failing to offset rising costs of land and inputs.

Genetically modified (GM) crops grown in the U.S. include corn, soybean, sugarbeets, canola, cotton, alfalfa, papaya, apples, potatoes, summer squash and pink pineapple. Following a decision released by the USDA last August, wheat could be joining that lineup within the next decade.

Ag Proud – Idaho would like you to meet Pramod Acharya.

The project’s first phase, which includes major earthwork and construction of a milking barn with a modern rotary parlor, has been completed and the next phase of construction (maternity and commodity barns and classrooms) is underway. In early May, U of I led a tour of lawmakers, local officials and members of the state’s Permanent Building Fund Advisory Council to showcase the return on the considerable investment they’ve made in CAFE.

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Three months ago, my position was: This new tariff deal will be a lot of talk and little action. So far, that has been the case; however, this could change in the blink of an eye. Even what is written today could be old news by the time this ink dries. Nonetheless, there are some constants in the world trade that are going to be impacted. For now, however, the largest component of tariffs is uncertainty.

Soil surfactants when utilized correctly, can optimize soil moisture that would otherwise be limiting and leave the cool-season grasses vulnerable to heat stress. When coupled with well established “best management practices” for irrigation efficiency (i.e., proper maintenance, moisture monitoring, irrigation scheduling based on evapotranspiration and other precision irrigation practices), soil surfactants can be implemented to fully optimize irrigation water supply and improve efficiencies.

Now, 50 years later, I’m beginning to realize how much age and time have altered my mother’s memory. She retold the story of the great river crossing during a recent family Zoom call, and I was stunned. She misremembered every detail. She called the river a “stream” and Easter’s great leap a “hop,” and she claimed she’d clapped and cheered my landing – not in awe – but to keep me from crying.