Ag Proud - Idaho Podcast

Hemp, organics and GMO – 1,000 Springs Mill and Tim Cornie have their fingers in a lot of niche farm products. After their first year of growing hemp, Tim shares what went right, what went wrong and what he wants to improve. It’s not a fit for every farm, but it could be a value-added crop for many. Follow 1,000 Springs Mills at 1000springsmill.com.

Eight years and drought has taught Kryst Krein a lot with cover crop experimentation in American Falls, in addition to his high-moisture corn, potatoes and wheat rotations. To be a farmer you have to be a soil manager, Krein says. And soil organic percentage has drastically changed on his farm. Different tillage trials (strip-till, no-till or deep rip) have also brought a great deal of education and experience. Take advantage of his experiences before you try your own.

We all know someone who has broken a leg prior to showing an animal at the fair, or we know a grandparent who still wants to navigate the farm but has limited mobility, or perhaps it's a special needs child who wants to move from the sidelines into the show ring. Or maybe your farm is hosting a school group and need some mobility resources. Well now it’s possible. The Canyon County Fair introduced Bacon Buddies, who partnered with Mobility Action Rentals to bring show opportunities to wheelchair-bound kids. And they’d like to take this non-profit program all over Idaho – not just for fairs and show rings, but also for farm rentals. What a great story from the Kreick family in Kimberly, who are behind this movement – you don’t want to miss this. Contact Action Mobility Rentals at 971-563-6700 Facebook: Action Mobility Rentals Instagram: actionmobilityrentals

Exposing local kids to national-level competition is the exciting goal at the Kootenai Classic, a non-profit organization that brings together several hundred animals to the Kootenai County Fairgrounds in Coeur d’Alene. This four-species (cattle, pigs, goats and sheep), two-ring show (two separate shows inside of one) helps kids understand one judge will see it differently from another on any given day. “It keeps you humble and can make your day at the same time,” says organizer Brian Taylor. Follow Kootenai Classic here: www.kootenaiclassic.com Facebook: @Kootenaiclassiclivestockshow

Did you know corn seed varieties only last about four years? Yeah! Who knew? That’s what our guests say – Clayton Nebeker and Greg Stanger from Northwest Seed. Would you like to know what’s on a seed dealer’s mind this spring? Here’s the short list: silage test plots, grain test plots, variety and day length fit for the producers’ areas, availability and prices. Gee, that list sounds familiar to Idaho producers, right? It’s pretty much the same thing that’s on producers’ minds. Maybe that’s because Clayton and Greg have both been farmers themselves, and they know what it’s like. Check out this podcast and see what’s happening in the seed world in 2023.

CSI ag students (Charlie Swan, Carson Simper, Wyatt Lloyd and Zane Barckholtz), Jaysa Fillmore (ag instructor) and Dale Cowger (farmer) joined us today for a fun round of Idaho ag trivia. Test your own knowledge – would you have guessed right about the counties with the most ag workers? Follow the CSI Ag Department and CSI Ag Club on their social media accounts here: https://www.facebook.com/CSIagdept https://www.facebook.com/agclubCSI @csiagdept (Instagram) @csi_ag_club (Instagram)

Oneida County Extension Educator Sawyer Fonnesbeck talks to us about animal nutrition, and the balance of feeding different forages to livestock. It all boils down to forage testing and what nutrition and fiber the feed contains compared with what the animal needs. If you need your hay tested, give him a call and he’ll get you pointed in the right direction. Find out more about this here: www.uidaho.edu/extension/county/oneida

Maggie Malson joins us today to talk about the Idaho Cattle Women and their activities to promote the beef industry in Idaho. She shares some trends the beef industry is seeing with direct-to-consumer marketing, but also the increasing input costs, and the population growth throughout Idaho. She encourages everyone in agriculture to actively educate and help newcomers understand why Idaho is so great. Follow Idaho Cattle Women here: idahocattlewomen.org Facebook: Idaho CattleWomen info@idahocattlewomen.org

Idaho Hay and Forage Association President Will Ricks joins us today on the podcast. Will raises hay for Idaho livestock, as well as for the export markets. Hay has become Idaho’s #2 field crop in 2022, edging past wheat for the first time. Will discusses how the association monitors legislation, watching for (sometimes unintentional) consequences for ag producers and tells listeners what’s coming at the annual convention on February 16, 2023. Learn more about the Idaho Hay & Forage Association here: https://www.idahohay.com/

“The public sees pesticides as toxins and poisons … but what if we could get them to see them as crop medicines?” From farmer to academia, back to farmer and expanding researcher, Miller Research history has covered the agricultural spectrum. Using conditions as close to commercial production as possible with field plots, Jeff Miller shares their research efforts into potato seed and pathologies, fertilizers, pesticides and green manures. He also advocates for “regenerative ag” or “sustainability” even when the terms are defined differently or nebulously, and he shares why. Then he’ll take us inside the current research pathways and point to the good things happening. It's an enlightening show today, and you can’t listen and not learn something new. (And yes, that’s a dare.) Follow Miller Research here: https://millerresearch.com/ Facebook @millerresearchllc YouTube: @MillerResearch1 jeff@millerresearch.com

Two-hundred seventy-four students in 60 classes are in the ag programs at College of Southern Idaho, which are welcoming to students with ag experience and no-ag-experience students. Ag instructor Jaysa Fillmore talks about a variety of ag programs available from aquaculture to vet tech with the associates degrees available, and how to find those scholarship opportunities for the programs. She also tells us about the Ag Club, and some of the trips and competitions for students (which will explain “tacos in the parking lot” and “potatoes in roaster ovens in the dorms”). And Jaysa shares a new project – ruminant rotational grazing research on the Breckenridge Endowment Farm. Follow the CSI Ag Department and CSI Ag Club on their social media accounts here: https://www.facebook.com/CSIagdept https://www.facebook.com/agclubCSI @csiagdept (Instagram) @csi_ag_club (Instagram)

Magic Valley farmer, cattle raiser and pork raiser Dave Roper tells us about a citizens group, Citizens for Preservation of Fish and Dams, that is delving into the proposed dam-breaching issues beyond ag transportation disruption, fish survivability and power generation – what are the unintended consequences (good and bad) of dams and reservoirs? Where can you find collected data to pursue more about the topic and the science beyond differing arguments? That’s what the group hopes to be able to provide – information for those searching for answers. One thing I learned from this episode: At one point in their lives (typically in springtime) fish (salmon and steelhead) physically develop something not unlike a float tube. So as much as a fish might want to swim to the bottom, it can’t and can go no deeper than about 1 foot in the water – being vulnerable to prey. And many are flushed out of the rivers too fast at this stage into the ocean, without the time to adapt from fresh water to saltwater conditions. Without adaptation, they die. Have a question for our guest? Contact citizensforfishdam@gmail.com

Spencer Ray and Phil Knight (Nike guru) are both shoe dogs, just for different animals. Both work with athletes, to help them perform in ways that their sports, athleticism, unique body types and gaits require. As a farrier, Spencer works with the kind of animals that don’t talk back, but they do stomp, kick, dance around and sometimes jerk his shoulder out of its socket. He shares a piece of that life with listeners today and describes how his work is changing and how customer tastes are changing. Come prepared to learn something new.

Moving an operation from one generation to another, Gus Brackett offers advice for those coming back to the ranching operation, which is “understand the why – why we do things” and understand that first, before you just come in wanting to change things, and then be patient with change. He says, “The more I went to school, the smarter Dad got.” Gus Brackett, columnist for Ag Proud – Idaho, shares his philosophies in his monthly column The Outside Circle, which is an old buckaroo term for the luckless cowboy who has to take the outside loop when circling up the cows. He always volunteers for that job, however, because it’s “the best place to stew and think things over.” What’s on Gus’s mind today? Follow Gus Brackett: Facebook: @gus.brackett Or find his books here

They started out with traditional farming practices “stuck at the end of the canal between the rattlesnakes and rocks.” Beating the odds of farm consolidations or sell-offs, 4th generation family members at McIntyre Farms are now actively preparing for the 5th generation through soil health practices and multi-species grazing that will ensure their operation is sustainable for many years ahead. Brad McIntyre converted to a soil health system with no-till practices and cover crops, and the family now raises grassfed and finished beef, pastured pigs, laying hens, broiler chickens, meat ducks and turkeys. Get your protein here! Follow McIntyre Family Farms here: https://mcintyrefamilyfarms.com/ Facebook: @mcintyrepastures Instagram: @mcintyrepastures

Anna Pratt Likely and Cori Wittman Stitt are our guests today and they’ve just debuted the first Idaho Farm and Ranch Center Conference to help connect producers with transition planning resources. Anna and Cori talk about their respective roles and goals for this new arm of Idaho Department of Agriculture. There may be resources you’d be interested in …. Follow the Idaho Farm and Ranch Center here: https://agri.idaho.gov/farmcenter/

Today our host, Homer Jaynes (under some duress), agreed to tell you a little about himself, what his ag experience is, and where he comes from. He’s probably not going to tell you about the time he drove his pickup out on the pond ice and broke through. He’s probably not going to tell you about the time he rode his 4-H steer in the sale ring at the market fat stock sale. He’ll spare you some of those details … so mum’s the word – you didn’t hear it here. Find out more about your host, and the fire off an email to him at podcast@agproud.com and let him hear from you!

Today, Editor Carrie Veselka and Associate Publisher David Cooper visit about “what the heck is going on with the Ag Proud – Idaho website.” And it’s good news for you – the website now has more features, more how-to articles, more information for your operation, more security, and it’s more mobile-friendly than ever before. If you need us from the tractor cab, we’ll be there. If you need us from the milking parlor, we’ll be there. If you need us from the far hills on the back of your horse … well, as long as you have reception we’ll be there. Find out what we can do for you.

Host Homer Jaynes interviews Idaho Cattle Association (ICA) Executive Director Cameron Mulrony in this recording. They discuss growth in the state and how uninformed residents affect all of agriculture. They also talk about herd reduction nationwide and market impacts, extreme legislative movements concerning cattle in neighboring states, stock water rights and a host of Idaho ranching concerns and challenges. Get caught up on many current industry issues before the ICA annual convention in Sun Valley! Today’s podcast is sponsored by Idaho Farm and Ranch Center. The Idaho State Department of Agriculture’s Farm and Ranch Conference is bringing together producers, agribusinesses, organizations, and community leaders to exchange knowledge and expertise that position Idaho agriculture for success. The Farm and Ranch Conference will address key issues affecting Idaho producers. Attendees should be ready to engage with a variety of nationally renowned speakers, concurrent workshops, and panel discussions focused on managing finances, overcoming challenges, and planning for the future of the farm. Register today! - https://agri.idaho.gov/farmcenter/conference/ - October 24-25 - Boise, ID

Today’s interview is with Dale Cowger, a farmer in Twin Falls County who tried something new this year – growing triticale seed. Dale shares some of his experiences with the crop, its challenges, and its benefits. Find out if this crop might be a new revenue stream for you. Today’s podcast is sponsored by Idaho Farm and Ranch Center. The Idaho State Department of Agriculture’s Farm and Ranch Conference is bringing together producers, agribusinesses, organizations, and community leaders to exchange knowledge and expertise that position Idaho agriculture for success. The Farm and Ranch Conference will address key issues affecting Idaho producers. Attendees should be ready to engage with a variety of nationally renowned speakers, concurrent workshops, and panel discussions focused on managing finances, overcoming challenges, and planning for the future of the farm. Register today! - https://agri.idaho.gov/farmcenter/conference/ - October 24-25 - Boise, ID