Economics in farming have been challenging for the past few years. What knowledge and intelligence do you have this coming year to adapt and do something new for yourself or for your farm?

We often like to use the easy button on so many things. In some instances, this works for a time, but what can the long-term results be and do we attempt to understand how nature interacts and responds to the practices we do in farming? Controlling weeds is one of those easy buttons that I feel we need to take a deeper look at and understand what the weeds are trying to tell us.

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.

Like nearly every ranch, we want to make sure our operation is one that is not just here for the next generation, but better than it was when we started. That’s why, in addition to herd genetics and efficiency, we pay close attention to conservation and the productivity of our land, too.

Amid higher input and machinery costs, maximizing profitability means expanding landholdings for some farmers – that’s one way to go. Another way to go is through maximizing yields on current cropland, which is the route R.L. Brown Farms of Jerome, Idaho, has chosen.

The University of Idaho Extension's 2025 Custom Rates Survey helps farmers compare costs of doing farm work themselves versus hiring custom operators.

Manure is a gift and a curse for dairy farmers. It becomes the dark cloud for dairy operations, being the source of time constraints, nutrient runoff and financial strains. Finding methods and approaches that bring consistency and flexibility to applications is often hard to find. That was, until conservation agriculture.

Amalgamated Sugar Co. researchers and agronomists present field trials including nitrogen fertility, cropping systems, tillage, water sensor use, cover crops and herbicide use in sugarbeet production.

The buzz around sustainability continues to grow. And while there is an end goal of creating a more viable dairy sector for years to come, reaching that point looks different for every producer.