Idaho farmers confronting a ’horrible, perfect economic storm’

BONNEVILLE COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) – Farmers are facing a vortex of problems as they enter Idaho’s prime growing season with limited water, low crop prices, higher gas and fertilizer costs, myriads of aphids and mite pests, abundant disease, damage from freezing temperatures and weeds run wild.

In addition, Idaho’s warm winter – combined with an abnormal number of freezing nights in April – has decimated the winter wheat and barley crop.

"I've seen a lot of people decide to Roundup crops. So they completely stopped the plant growth, and they're either putting the crop (or) not planting because of water shortages," said Juliet Marshall, Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station associate director. "I've seen people take their crop and mow it down.”

She reports as much as 50 percent killed of winter barley main stems and some fields of winter wheat.

April's extreme temperature oscillations decimated early crops.

"We had temperatures in some areas in Roberts and in Hamer and up and down the valley were seven degrees," said Mickelsen Farms CFO Stephanie Mickelsen. "So when that freezes, what happens is, is it can reduce your crop anywhere from 30 to 60 to 100 percent. So right now we're out taking a look at surveying the damage. We're concerned."

Most worrying is the drought that is already impacting the entire region.

"Just hope for some rain for a couple months – maybe ease the drought conditions we're probably going to see," said Surface Water Coalition Attorney Travis Thompson. "It's probably the most severe year I've seen in my 25 years of practice."

Combined with next year's "Super El Nino" expected to extend and worsen the drought next year, farmers are in for a tough stretch.

“Farmers are facing a significant economic storm. Whether you're talking about drought and disease and insects and the overall economy associated with the price of inputs, and the overall prices associated with commodities," said Marshall. "So this is a horrible, perfect economic storm for producers to be facing at this time."