Dairy West Promotes Idaho Milk
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Spring 2018 • Volume 18, Issue 2 Truffles being Governor Dairy West found in Idaho candidates promotes – page 4 answer questions Idaho milk – page 14 – page 21 The Zipline Much like spring fol- February 2018, and it’s not expected to get lows winter, every dairy above $16-$17 this year. Heartbreaking market boom is followed time for dairy by a bust and vice versa. With no price recovery in sight, many of us Dairy farmers are enter- personally know a dairy farming family that ing a fourth straight year is getting out of production after generations By Zippy Duvall of low prices as global of being in the business. About 10 percent of President American Farm milk production has dairy farms across the nation have shut down Bureau Federation grown faster than de- over the past year. mand. The all-milk price averaged more than $25 Just in the last few days, I have heard from per hundredweight at certain points in 2014, good dairy farming friends in Georgia that but it has been downhill from there. The milk price hit just $15.30 per hundredweight as of See DUVALL, page 7 The President’s Desk Trade is vital to Ameri- eat 45 potatoes every day, as well as two pounds Important ca’s farmers and ranchers of beef, three cups of beans, two onions, two and that’s why it’s critical pounds of cheese and 208 slices of bread. to get trade for our leaders to make sure they get it right when Idaho’s agricultural sector exports about $2 bil- negotiations negotiating and re-nego- lion worth of food and food products to foreign right tiating trade deals. nations each year and one in every six rows of Idaho potatoes is exported. Fifty percent of the As an example of how wheat grown in Idaho is exported to foreign By Bryan Searle important trade is to Ida- markets and overseas sales of ag products sup- President Idaho Farm ho producers, consider port 24,000 jobs in this state. Bureau Federation this: If all the food grown in this state had to be consumed here, every Idahoan would have to See SEARLE, page 12 Inside Farm Bureau When you take a half- like to talk, you are making a real contribution Farm Bureau’s hour out of your busy to self-government. day to plan with a few of volunteer your fellow farmers and You are more important than you think. You, ranchers on improving as an individual member of Farm Bureau, are leaders a rural road, when you part of one of the most fundamental and pow- rush through your eve- erful voluntary organizations. By Rick Keller ning chores and hurry CEO Idaho Farm Bureau Federation your supper so that you I have watched many in agriculture give back can walk into a Farm to their industry through volunteering. Sel- Bureau meeting on time, dom have I witnessed more giving of time when you get up in a meeting and say what and resources than with farmers and ranchers. you believe, even though you don’t particularly See KELLER, page 12 2 IDAHO FARM BUREAU QUARTERLY / SPRING 2018 Volume 18, Issue 2 IFBF OFFICERS President ........................................Bryan Searle, Shelley Vice President ..................................Mark Trupp, Driggs COntents Executive Vice President .............................. Rick Keller Assist Executive Vice President.........Dennis Brower BOARD OF DIRECTORS FeatUres Austin Tubbs .............................................................Malad Dan Garner .............................................................Clifton Chris Dalley ...................................................... Blackfoot Producers in southwestern Gubernatorial candidates Stephanie Mickelsen........................................ Idaho Falls Travis McAffee ........................................................ Howe Idaho try their hand at answer questions. Scott Steele .................................................... Idaho Falls Gerald Marchant ................................................. Oakley growing truffles. Rick Pearson .................................................. Hagerman Rick Brune ...........................................................Hazelton PAGE 14 Luke Pearce ............................................ New Plymouth PAGE 4 Cody Chandler ...................................................... Weiser Tracy Walton ....................................................... Emmett Marjorie French .............................................. Princeton Dairy West promotes Bob Konen ...........................................................Lewiston Tom Daniel .............................................. Bonners Ferry Idaho milk. Judy Woody ............................................................... Filer Idaho Water Resource Kyle Wade .............................................................Downey STAFF Board sets aquifer PAGE 21 Dir. of Organization .................................. Justin Patten recharge record. Director of Admin. Services ....................... Cara Dyer Commodities & Marketing Assistant . Melissa Nelson Member Services Assistant .................... Peggy Moore Public Relations Assistant ....................... Dixie Ashton PAGE 6 Idaho Farm Bureau Assistant Treasurer.................................. Tyler Zollinger Dist. I Regional Manager .............................. Ott Clark Women’s Leadership Dist. II Regional Manager ..................... Tyrel Bingham Dist. III Regional Manager ............................. Zack Lanier Conference. Dist. IV Regional Manager .........................Brody Miller Lawmakers urge council Dist. V Regional Manager ...................... Bob Smathers Dir. of Governmental Affairs ...............Russ Hendricks to use funds to help PAGE 30 Asst. Dir. of Governmental Affairs ... Dennis Tanikuni Energy/Natural Resources ..................... Braden Jensen reimburse ranchers. Publications Editor .......................................... Sean Ellis Video Services Manager ........................... Steve Ritter Farm labor situation Broadcast Services Manager .................... Jake Putnam Office Manager, Boise ........................... Melissa Bechaver PAGE 8 tightens as earnings rise. Director of Information ............................ Joel Benson Commodities and Marketing .........................Zak Miller Project Manager ...........................................Tyler Moore PAGE 35 Printed by: Owyhee Publishing, Homedale, ID IDAHO FARM BUREAU QUARTERLY USPS #022-899, is published quarterly by the IDAHO FARM BUREAU FEDERATION, 275 Tierra Vista Drive, Pocatello, ID 83201. POSTMASTER send changes of address to: DEPARTMENTS IDAHO FARM BUREAU QUARTERLY P.O. Box 4848, Pocatello, ID 83205-4848. Periodicals postage paid at Pocatello, ID and additional mailing offices. The Zipline: Zippy Duvall ................................................................... 2 SUBSCRIPTION: $4 a year included in Farm Bureau dues. The President’s Desk: Bryan Searle .................................................. 2 MAGAZINE CONTACTS: Idaho Farm Bureau Federation Inside Farm Bureau: Rick Keller ........................................................ 2 EDITOR (208) 239-4292 • ADS (208) 239-4279 E-MAIL: [email protected] University of Idaho Forestry ............................................................18 www.idahofb.org Word Search .......................................................................................25 Cover: Truffle farmer Paul Beckman, left, and chef Farm Facts ............................................................................................28 Richard Jimenez, pause with Beckman’s dog, Gitana, while hunting for truffles April 15 in an orchard in Classifieds ...........................................................................................42 Eagle, Idaho. For a story on Idaho truffle farming, see page 4. Photo by Steve Ritter IDAHO FARM BUREAU QUARTERLY / SPRING 2018 3 Photo by Steve Ritter Truffle farmer Paul Beckman hunts for truffles April 15 in his orchard in the foothills of Eagle, Idaho. Expensive truffles being grown in Idaho By Sean Ellis have been inoculated with truf- was eaten by the dog that found He said finding nothing even fle spores. it. Now he uses trained truffle after his trees were six or seven Idaho Farm Bureau Federation dogs and truffles being eaten years old made him wonder, “Is Unlike in many other places EAGLE – Truffles, the most by the dogs that find them is it ever going to work? But the around the world, where people expensive food in the world on less of a problem. fact that we’ve actually moved search for truffles in the wild, an ounce-for-ounce basis, are from concept to reality is even Idaho producers have planted The type of truffles Beckman starting to be found in the foot- more exciting.” thousands of acres of trees in- has been finding are known hills of Eagle in southwestern oculated with truffle spores in as white Bianchetto truffles, According to Beckman, about Idaho. orchard settings. which he has been selling for 20 people in southwestern Ida- An underground fungus that $40 an ounce or $640 a pound. ho have planted a total of about Beckman planted his first truf- grows near tree roots, truffles 150 acres of truffles and the fle trees near the Eagle foothills Brad Sprenger, a neighbor, sell for hundreds to several region has what is believed to in 2006 and planted most of his planted his trees a few years thousand dollars a pound, de- be the largest concentration of trees in 2008. Trees typically after Beckman and this year pending on the variety. truffle orchards in the United take 8-12 years to start pro- found 18 black Perigord truf- States.