KUNA, Idaho -- We are in the middle of harvest season for many crops in Idaho, and while farmers are reaping fairly big yields, overall revenue is expected to be way down.
Richard Durrant owns and manages the Big D Ranch out by Kuna. They grow a little bit of everything, from sugar beets to hay to wheat seed. They're in the middle of harvesting a lot of that, and while their yields are large enough, Durrant says there is a problem, "The price is still way off."
Durrant, and Jake Putnam with the Idaho Farm Bureau, say worldwide, farmers and dairymen are producing plenty of crops and milk. Putnam says that's actually a little bit of bad news for all of them, since the market is flooded,
"It's definitely a classic supply and demand situation."
Putnam says agricultural revenue, especially in the dairy industry, will take a big hit this season, "Farm gate revenue, receipts, are going to be down 20-30 percent."
"That's a pretty big chunk," according to Durrant.
That means he, and other growers and dairymen will have to cut back, and gamble on what to plant that might be profitable next year. But, how does that affect you, especially if you live in the increasingly urban Ada and Canyon Counties?
Durrant says, "We still have a lot of agricultural industry in the counties, and it does play an important part in how revenue is spread throughout the counties."
Agriculture is a multi-billion dollar industry in Idaho, employing around 100,000 people. If all those people have to cut back, it means a lot less money pumped into the economy, and that may mean people outside agribusiness will have to cut back too.
Putnam says, "Agriculture is a big part of the economy. We will see see a little bit of downturn later on, probably January or February."
Coming into this season, the big concern wasn't prices, but drought conditions for farmers. Luckily, there was enough water in the reservoirs to get them through the summer. But, they want to see plenty of snow this winter, to replenish those reserves.
