Idaho ag exports post modest gain, ahead of 2011 record

Idaho ag exports increased modestly during the first quarter compared with the same period in 2011. But because 2011 was a record year for Idaho farm exports, the small increase is viewed as a positive sign. "Last year was a record year so ... I would call it a solid export performance," Laura ...

Processors reject spuds treated with Bayer fungicide

AMERICAN FALLS, Idaho -- J.R. Simplot Co. and Lamb Weston have told potato growers in Idaho and the Columbia Basin that they won't accept spuds treated with the fungicide Luna Tranquility, recently released by Bayer CropScience. A Simplot spokesman said a maximum residue limit for the product has ...

Organic grower finds fault with state bean law

Robin Caudill isn't selling beans at her stand at the Capital City Public Market in Boise this summer. She ran afoul last season of an Idaho State Department of Agriculture bean seed regulation, which requires growers plant only bean seed inspected by the state, certified with an instate planting ...

Feeder cattle supply sinking fast

Feeder cattle are becoming harder to come by and analysts are projecting that situation to become even more tenuous. USDA's May 18 cattle on feed report shows a 15 percent drop in cattle placed into feedlots in April compared with both a year earlier and March. "We have the lowest cattle supply ...

Primary results relieve ag

Idaho's recent primary election didn't appear to contain any bad news for agriculture and could have helped pave the way for an Ag Jobs bill that easily passed the House this year but died in the Senate. Heading into the election, Idaho farm leaders were concerned the state's redistricting proces ...

Small potatoes gain ground, profits

Fingerling potato growers say they're expanding both acreage and varieties of the slender, colorful spuds to meet increasing demand. Rod Lake, a partner in Southwind Farms in Heyburn, Idaho, said his operation has expanded a bit this year, though he didn't disclose exact acreage. "This last year ...

Film examines impact of wolves

Ranchers are hailing an independent film that documents the impact wolves are having on their industry and game herds, while a prominent wolf advocate said it's an unfair effort to demonize the wolf. "Crying Wolf: Exposing the Wolf Reintroduction to Yellowstone National Park," was created by inde ...