By the time he was 10 years old, Taylor Smith was already recognized by his community as a promising young farmer. He’d started to build his cow herd. He was handy with equipment. His work ethic was unmatched by anyone else at his elementary school. But Taylor wasn’t interested in the recognition. He just wanted to be on the farm.

For producers of all commodities across Idaho, water has been a topic of conversation for months and for good reason. As the mild winter turned to an early, semi-wet spring and now to a forecast extra-dry summer, the conversations continue.

The University of Idaho Extension hosted the annual BIF Symposium in June, bringing hundreds of the beef industry’s brightest minds and strongest leaders to the Treasure Valley.

What’s black and powdery fine, with holes all over? “Biochar” might not be everyone’s immediate response, but this soil additive is gaining popularity in the U.S. Now, University of Idaho researchers hope to put numbers to the benefits of biochar application on Palouse farms. 

The question of who will eventually take over the ranch is not new, but the legal, financial and operational complexities surrounding that decision continue to evolve rapidly.