Farmers throughout Idaho may be on the lookout for ways to save power on their farms, while continuing to be efficient and quality producers. Solar panels are an up-and-coming technology that may be the type of investment a farm operation is looking for.

Ag Proud – Idaho’s Cassidy Woolsey caught up with David Hoekema, a hydrologist with the Idaho Department of Water Resources (IDWR), to discuss this year's unusually dry spring and how it’s affecting the state’s water supply.

“As everyone knows the Treasure Valley is rapidly growing,” says Idaho Water Resource Board (IWRB) staff member Justin Ferguson. Based on a water demand survey completed in 2016 for the IWRB, the Treasure Valley is projected to increase in population to 1.57 million people by 2065, and with that increase comes an estimated need for an additional 81,000 acre-feet of water.

On June 16, Gov. Brad Little and Idaho Water Resource Board (IWRB) Chairman Jeff Raybould visited American Falls Dam and the Highline Canal south of Buhl to highlight two major projects funded through the state’s Modernizing Water Infrastructure grant.

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.

In 2024, a new law added tributary basins outside the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer to groundwater rights management. Two producers share their perspectives on the impact of this change.

Water and energy are two of the most critical resources in modern agriculture, and efficient management of both can mean the difference between a profitable season and one plagued by high operational costs. Farmers who prioritize energy-efficient irrigation systems can see significant savings, better water conservation and even potential incentives to help offset upgrade costs.

A negotiated management plan that has helped resolve a long-standing conflict between groundwater and surface water users in the Wood River Basin has been extended for three more years, a topic discussed in detail during the Idaho Water Users Association annual convention in January.