BOISE—A year-long effort that will explore options for preserving farmland in the fast-growing Treasure Valley of southwestern Idaho kicks off in October.
Heavy development pressure is causing farmland in some parts of the valley to disappear at an alarming rate, said Nampa farmer Janie Burns, chair of the Treasure Valley Food Coalition, which is sponsoring the campaign.
“When you drive across the valley, it’s breathtaking how much farmland is disappearing,” she said.
Almost everyone agrees that farmland should be preserved “but no one seems to be able to articulate why or how we should go about it,” Burns said. “This is an opportunity to learn about farmland preservation, starting with the question, ‘Why should we even do it?’”
The nonprofit group will bring in several experts on farmland preservation to discuss the issue and explore possible solutions.
According to the Ada Soil and Water Conservation District, which is sponsoring the campaign, there are 8,000 farms in the greater Treasure Valley area, which is 27 percent of all the farms in Idaho, and farmland contributes $1.7 billion to the region’s economy.
The loss of farmland in Ada County, Idaho’s most populous, is particular concerning, said Glen Edwards, who raises dairy replacement heifers and grows barley, wheat and alfalfa and is chairman of the ASWCD’s board of supervisors.
“Particularly in Ada County, farmland is being gobbled up left and right,” he said. “It’s all turning into houses.”
According to ASWCD, there were 244,218 acres of farmland in Ada County in 1974 but that total had fallen to 144,049 by 2012.
Source: www.capitalpress.com