CURRENTLY, IDAHO HAS THE FIFTH LARGEST AG ECONOMY IN THE
NATION.
A RECENT ECONOMIC
REPORT PRESENTED TO
THE STATE LEGISLATURE
BREAKS DOWN HOW THE
INDUSTRY IS DOING..AND
SHOWS SOME SURPRISING
TRENDS.
MISTY INGLET TAKES AN
IN-DEPTH LOOK AT THE
INDUSTRY FOR US.
MISTY?
I TOOK A POLL ON
TWITTER AND I ASKED
MANY OF YOU WHAT YOU
THINK THE TOP AG
INDUSTRY FOR IDAHO
IS...
WE HAD 355 RESPONSES.
AND
AND IT
AND IT WAS A REALLY CLOSE VOTE....37% OF YOU THOUGHT DAIRY, 35%
THOUGHT SAID POTATOES.
WELL THE GOOD NEWS IS,
BOTH OF THOSE ANSWERS
ARE TECHINICALLY
CORRECT.
POTATOES ARE THE
NUMBER ONE CROP FOR
THE STATE...HOWEVER, IT'S
THE DAIRY INDUSTRY THAT
BRINGS
BRINGS THE BIGGEST OVERALL FINANCIAL BOOST TO IDAHO
AGRICULTURE.
WHEN IT COMES TO
POTATO-PRODUCING
STATES, IDAHO IS CREAM
OF THE CROP..
BUT MOOO-VE OVER
"SPUD STATE" IT'S TIME
FOR A NEW CASH COW IN
IDAHO.
THOUGH IDAHO LEADS
THE NATION IN POTATO
PRODUCTION..SPUDS ARE
=NOT= IDAHO'S TOP
AGRICULTURAL
COMMODITY.
AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY. - "POTATOES ARE REALLY
GREAT
GREAT WHEN THEY'RE TOPPED WITH BUTTER, SOUR CREAM AND
CHEESE."
THOSE POTATO TOPPINGS
ALSO TOP IDAHO'S AG
INDUSTRY.
- "DAIRY IS IDAHO'S
LARGEST AGRICULTURAL
SECTOR."
- "IDAHO IS NORMALLY
NUMBER THREE OR
NUMBER FOUR IN TERMS
OF OUR PRODUCTION. WE
JOCKEY FOR THAT
NUMBER THREE SPOT
WITH NEW YORK BUT
WE'RE RIGHT BEHIND
CALIFORNIA AND
CALIFORNIA AND
WISCONSIN." A RECENT UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO AGRICULTURE
REPORT SHOWS MILK IS
THE MOST VALUABLE
PRODUCT, WORTH $2.3
BILLION DOLLARS..CATTLE
IS SECOND AT $1.4 BILLION
AND POTATOES ARE THIRD
AT JUST HIGHER THAN $1
BILLION.
- "WE HAVE BROKEN
ALL-TIME RECORDS IN
IDAHO AGRICULTURE.
WE'RE OVER $8 BILLION IN
CASH RECEIPTS IN IDAHO
AGRICULTURE. THAT'S THE
SECOND HIGHEST EVER."
OF
OF THAT
OF THAT $8.3 BILLION DOLLARS, 34% CAME FROM MILK..20% FROM
CATTLE..AND 13% FROM
POTATOES.
- "THE HEALTH OF
AGRICULTURE IN THE
STATE OF IDAHO LARGELY
DEPENDS UPON THE
HEALTH OF THE DAIRY
INDUSTRY. IT PROPELS SO
MUCH."
CURRENLTY, IDAHO HAS
600-THOUSAND DAIRY
COWS SPREAD ACROSS
437 DAIRY FARMS.
- "WE'VE HAD INCREASING
MILK PRODUCTION SINCE
2013 BY ABOUT 2% EVERY
YEAR."
THE SAME U OF I REPORT
SHOWS MILK
PRODUCTION PER COW
HAS ALSO DOUBLED SINCE
1980..
MILK PRICES HAVE ALSO
IMPROVED THE LAST FEW
YEARS...CURRENTLY,
PRICES ARE 17 DOLLARS
PER HUNDRED POUNDS...
- "THAT'S UP FROM A
YEAR AGO ABOUT THIS
TIME AT ABOUT $13.80."
THAT'S ALSO UP FROM $12
DOLLARS IN 2000 AND
FROM $15 IN 2010.
THOUGH MILK PRICES ARE
VOLATILE AND OFTEN
FLUCTUATE, LARGER DAIRY
OPERATIONS AND THE
INCREASE IN PRODUCTION
HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO
THE IMPROVED PRICES -
AND THE OVERALL
INDUSTRY BOOM.
TED VANDER SCHAAF
HAS A LARGE DAIRY IN
KUNA AND HAS BEEN IN
THE INDUSTRY FOR 20
YEARS.
- "IMPROVING. THAT'S
HOW I WOULD DESCRIBE
IT.."
- "FROM THE LAST
COUPLE YEARS, THINGS
HAVE IMPROVED BY A
COUPLE OF DOLLARS
WHICH FOR US MEANS
WE'LL BE ABLE TO MAKE A
PROFIT OR AT LEAST BE
ABLE TO COVER OUR
COSTS. AND THAT'S NOT
BEEN THE CASE THE LAST
COUPLE YEARS."
- "IT'S TRULY BEEN AN
AMAZING ASCENT FROM
JUST A FEW YEARS AGO
WHEN WE WERE AT
BOTTOMS REFLECTING THE
NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL
SCENE."
BUT WITH ALL THE BOOM
IN THE INDUSTRY COMES
SOME GROWING PAINS..
- "WE DO NOT HAVE
ENOUGH MILK PLANT
CAPACITY. WE CANNOT
PHYSICALLY SHIP ANY
MORE MILK INTO OUR
MILK PLANTS BECAUSE
THERE'S NO ROOM. THE
LOCAL PLANTS HERE IN
THIS VALLEY ARE ALL FULL,
THE PLANTS IN THE MAGIC
VALLEY ARE ALL FULL."
- "DAIRYMEN ARE
ACTUALLY BEING TOLD TO
CUT BACK. AND THAT'S
THE FIRST TIME IN MY 20
YEARS OF PRODUCING
MILK THAT I'VE EVER
HEARD THAT."
DAIRY WEST SAYS PART
OF THE REASON FOR THE
SHIFT IN THE INDUSTRY IS
FARMER INNOVATION.
- "THEY'RE INVESTING IN
INNOVATION TO
CONTINUALLY IMPROVE
THEIR OPERATIONS, THEIR
ANIMAL CARE AND THEIR
ENVIRONMENTAL
STEWARDSHIP. AND
THAT'S APPEALING SO
DAIRY FOOD
MANUFACTURERS WANT
TO DO BUSINESS WITH
FARMERS IN OUR REGION."
WITH INVENTIONS LIKE
THE CAROUSEL MILKING
SYSTEM OR ROBOTIC
SYSTEMS, TED SAYS
MODERNIZATION AND
INNOVATION IN
TECHNOLOGY HAVE ALSO
CHANGED THE LOOK OF
DAIRIES IN HIS 20 YEARS.
- "WE HAVE ACTUALLY A
LOT OF SOFTWARE ON
DAIRIES THAT WE UTILIZE. I
CAN LOOK UP ON MY
PHONE TO CHECK ON MY
COW RECORDS, I CAN
CHECK ON THE MILKING
PARLOR, I CAN CHECK ON
MY EMPLOYEES AND MY
PHONE AND MY APPS AND
STUFF."
WITH THE POSITIVE TREND
IN DAIRY PREDICTED TO
CONTINUE THROUGH
2020, IDAHO DAIRY
FARMERS SAY ALL IN ALL,
IT'S ENCOURAGING
MOVING FORWARD.
- "IT'S REALLY EXCITING. I
THINK IDAHO IS PROBABLY
THE BEST STATE IN THE
NATION TO PRODUCE
MILK."
- "IDAHO WITH ALL OF
OUR LAND AND WATER
AND THE FEED WE'RE ABLE
TO GROW WITH THE
CLIMATE WE HAVE, I
HONESTLY BELIEVE IT'S THE
BEST PLACE."
I LEARNED ANOTHER KEY
COMPONENT
COMPONENT FOR IDAHO ARE AG EXPORTS. IN 2018, IDAHO AG
PRODUCTS BROUGHT IN
848 MILLION DOLLARS.
18%
18% OF
18% OF THOSE EXPORTS WERE DAIRY PRODUCTS. DAIRY WEST SAYS IT'S KEY
MARKETS ARE SOUTH
KOREA, MEXICO AND
CHINA.