Sean Ellis

Publications Editor, Idaho Farm Bureau Federation and Contributor at Freelance

Articles

ECAP Payments Helping Struggling Farmers a Little Bit

6 days ago | m.farms.com | Sean Ellis

By Sean EllisTimes are tough in farm country right now, with input costs remaining high while agricultural commodity prices are on the decrease. USDA’s Emergency Commodity Assistance Program is providing a little bit of help to some farmers, as outlined in a May 7 USDA news release.
Japanese beef trade team visits Idaho

1 week ago | postregister.com | Sean Ellis

POCATELLO – A trade team from Japan spent some time in Idaho April 2-4 learning about the state’s beef industry. The trade delegation consisted of a dozen young Japanese women who represent four of the largest beef purchasers in Japan. One of the group’s stops was at the Buhl ranch of former Idaho State Department of Agriculture Director Celia Gould. She hosted the trade team in her living room, with mother cows and their calves strolling by 20 feet from the main window.
Idaho, U.S. potato acres forecast to decline

2 weeks ago | postregister.com | Sean Ellis

POCATELLO – Idaho potato acres are projected to decrease by 15,000 acres this year compared with last year. That would be a 5 percent drop if realized, from 315,000 acres in 2024 to 300,000 in 2025. Total U.S. potato acres are forecast to fall by 4 percent, dropping from 930,000 acres in 2024 to 891,000 acres in 2025. Those projections were made in the April 10 edition of the North American Potato Market News.
Idaho farmers are starting to figure out hemp

3 weeks ago | postregister.com | Sean Ellis

BOISE – Since it first became legal to produce hemp in Idaho, in 2022, acres have more than doubled each year, from 459 in 2022 to 1,274 in 2023 to 2,668 in 2024. That’s not exactly an explosion of acreage but it does show that the crop has gained a small foothold in Idaho and some farmers are starting to figure out the agronomics and economics of growing hemp.
National Ag Day event held in Capitol building

3 weeks ago | postregister.com | Sean Ellis

BOISE – In Idaho, National Agriculture Day was more than just a celebration of farming and ranching. It was an opportunity to help educate lawmakers and regular citizens about the industry and how important it is. Seventeen Idaho farm and ranch groups set up booths, with displays, in the state Capitol building March 18 to help celebrate the special day. The event was organized by the Idaho State Department of Agriculture.
Japanese Beef Trade Team Visits Idaho

1 month ago | m.farms.com | Sean Ellis

By Sean EllisA trade team from Japan spent some time in Idaho April 2-4 learning about the state’s beef industry. The trade delegation consisted of a dozen young Japanese women who represent four of the largest beef purchasers in Japan. One of the group’s stops was at the Buhl ranch of former Idaho State Department of Agriculture Director Celia Gould. She hosted the trade team in her living room, with mother cows and their calves strolling by 20 feet from the main window.
Four straight years of farm export records for Idaho

1 month ago | postregister.com | Sean Ellis

POCATELLO – Idaho has set a record for total value of agricultural exports for four straight years. Considering that much of the farm products produced in Idaho are exported to other nations, that’s a good sign for the state’s ag industry. A total of $1.34 billion worth of farm products from Idaho were exported to other nations in 2024, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. That eclipses, by 14 percent, the previous record of $1.18 billion set in 2023.
Valley School District restarting ag program

1 month ago | postregister.com | Sean Ellis

HAZELTON – Valley School District is creating a new agriculture education program for its students. It just needs a little more help. The district covers the eastern end of Jerome County, in the Eden and Hazelton area. It is located in the agriculture-rich Magic Valley of southcentral Idaho and is one of the only school districts in that region without an ag program.
2025 water supply looking pretty good

1 month ago | postregister.com | Sean Ellis

POCATELLO – Based on mountain snowpack levels, 2025 should be a pretty decent water year for Idaho irrigators. That’s great news for farmers, and recreationists, who depend on the state’s reservoirs to provide water during Idaho’s hot, dry summer months. As of March 20, snowpack levels in most Idaho basins were well above normal, and the amount of carryover water in Idaho reservoirs was close to normal.
Egg prices are soaring and forecast to go higher

2 months ago | postregister.com | Sean Ellis

POCATELLO – The bad news is that retail egg prices in the U.S. have hit a record level. The worse news is that USDA forecasts they could increase by another 40 percent in 2025. The good news is that USDA has released a comprehensive plan to try to reign in soaring egg prices. The average price in the U.S. for a dozen eggs at the retail level was under $1.50 in January 2021. This January, the average price was a tad under $5. According to USDA’s Food Price Outlook for 2025, which was updated Feb.