At Ladd Wahlen Farms, it begins with roots (small r) and ends with Roots (capital R).

“Well, I think the sign of any good agreement is that nobody's happy,” says Travis Thompson, an attorney for the Surface Water Coalition (SWC). “That way you know something's been done right."

In southeast Idaho, the hard white spring wheat (HWS) that reigns supreme is Dayn, a widely-grown variety released by Washington State University in 2018. However, a new variety known as UI Gold may soon be giving it a run for its money.

Pete Jones is the project manager for University of Idaho’s Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (Idaho CAFE) currently under construction in Rupert. Ag Proud – Idaho’s Cassidy Woolsey caught up with Jones to learn more about what is soon-to-be the nation's largest research dairy, located right here in Idaho.

Owl boxes, which are small, usually wooden, boxes built to accommodate owl nesting, have been utilized on agricultural land to help with the reduction of voles and the damage they cause. Studies by the University of Idaho show that an average barn owl family (two adults and five owlets) nesting near agricultural land can consume over 2,000 voles within three months. Barn owlets alone can eat about three voles a day until they leave the nest.

In 2023, the Idaho Wolf Depredation Control Board announced a new initiative to control wolves on private property and approved spending up to $50,000 per year for producers to undertake wolf removal projects – with board approval.

“I think there are plenty of workers who would love to come into the U.S. on a longer term to work in the animal industry,” says Hafliger. He adds, “We need to have a long-term program available. The dairy industry is so technical – with the knowledge required – you don’t want to train a guy and then lose him after three months … I would like to see us develop some kind of [work] visa for a set time – at a minimum, for five years.”