As water resources become increasingly scarce in southern Idaho, producers are looking for forage options that make the most of limited irrigation. One strategy gaining traction is planting fall-seeded annual cereals for forage.

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.

Crop prices are volatile, and for many producers, the market price at harvest in 2025 was below their cost of production. While no one has a crystal ball, a producer with a basic marketing plan can take steps to mitigate their price risk and increase their chances of long-term profitability.

Idaho’s barley fields became more than just a harvest site in 2024; they became a proving ground. For the first time, the state launched a barley yield contest, adding a competitive edge to the season and spotlighting the precise practices happening on local farms.

Wild oats (Avena fatua) – they’re fast, sneaky and persistent. If you’re a small-grain producer, you already know this grassy weed can rob you of yield, quality and profits. But here’s the good news: With smart strategies, you can turn the tables.

“Overall, it was an average to average-plus year,” says Terry Helms of Simplot Grower Solutions in Oakley. Helms has been an agronomist in south central Idaho since 1985 and deals with a range of crops including potatoes, sugarbeets, corn, dry beans and small grains.

Should growers be treating their fields more like golf courses? A common solution to this problem in golf courses is the application of products known as soil wetting agents that reduce the surface tension of soil.

“I’m an optimist, but I have seen fields overrun by kochia, and last year we learned that we have Palmer amaranth and waterhemp,” says Dr. Albert Adjesiwor, University of Idaho Extension weed scientist in Kimberly.