Hamer Farms grows about 1,500 acres of potatoes, along with alfalfa, corn, wheat and mustard. The farm and packing operation together employ almost 60 people.

Potato growers across North America are increasingly turning to mustard as a rotational crop, but nowhere is the opportunity more compelling than in Idaho. As the second-largest mustard-producing state in the U.S. and the nation’s leading potato producer, Idaho holds a unique position where mustard and potatoes can work jointly to deliver sustainable market advantages for both crops.

Some social media influencers have vocalized the idea that our current agricultural system needs an overhaul. I agree that we need to be using the best science available to improve crop production and minimize adverse effects on the environment. But pesticide use is condemned too quickly without understanding the benefit their use brings in protecting the crop.

Idaho has a new top ag commodity: beef cattle. Livestock sector gains led Idaho farmgate cash receipts to a second consecutive all-time high in 2025. Net farm income is forecast to see a small year-over-year increase, with livestock sector gains outweighing losses in the crop sector.

“The ag community is all suffering. We all know this,” says Brandon Vining, president of ProGro Agronomy in St. Anthony. Agronomic outcomes differed by region, but low commodity prices and high input costs have most producers (outside of the beef industry) tightening their belts and hoping for better times.

As the Make America Healthy Again Commission (MAHA) makes headlines, Idaho producers may wonder where changing policies and recommendations leave them. One article of particular interest is the disavowal of “ultra-processed foods.”