Idaho Wheat Commission

News

Reclamation funds projects to save water, create other efficiencies

North Side Pumping Co. will retire some century-old infrastructure with help from new federal funding. The Jerome, Idaho, irrigation water provider plans to decommission some systems and add or upgrade others.
The U.S. Department of the Interior recently announced it is distributing $25.5 million — spread across 14 projects in eight Western states — in U.S. Bureau of Reclamation WaterSmart water and energy efficiency grants. Funds come from the bipartisan infrastructure law passed late last year. The Idaho project got $2 million.
The new project will decommission two 1920s plants that lift water into about 14.5 miles of open-ditch irrigation laterals. The laterals, also to be eliminated, help irrigate about 4,790 acres of agricultural land owned by 30 landowners. Up to 30 small pump stations will be installed, depending on final configuration, as well as 86,000 lineal feet of polyvinyl chloride pipeline. Pump power capacities and pipeline widths will vary. Pump stations will connect to new water delivery headgates on portions of open-channel irrigation laterals that will stay active.

‍

June 3, 2026

Idaho’s U.S. Senator Frank Church Wrote BPA’s Rulebook. It Demands Reliable Power, Too.

An opinion editorial written by Will Hart, executive director of the Idaho Consumer-Owned Utilities Association, and Kurt Miller, executive director of the Northwest Public Power Association.

April 7, 2026

Changing diets and demographics creating new opportunities for U.S. wheat

Rising incomes, growing populations, and rapid industrialization is creating increased demand for wheat foods around the world.

April 7, 2026

Idaho ag economic impact hits records

The economic impact of agriculture in Idaho reached $44.5 billion in sales, 17.2% of the state’s total economic output.

April 7, 2026

What is the Most Important Asset on the Farm?

How much time do you spend making sure your equipment is properly maintained? From combines and drills to pickups and silos, the farm has spent a lot of money and you probably have a “correct” way to take care of the tools you’ve invested in. But what is the most important asset on the farm? Quick answer: you and the people around you. Do you allocate as much time and attention on those assets? Probably not.

April 7, 2026

ALERT: Warm Weather Threatens Wheat with Yield Loss

The warm winter weather throughout the state has experts concerned about increased fungal diseases creeping into fields and causing yield loss. Xianming Chen, USDA stripe rust expert in the PNW, is warning farmers to start checking their fields. Chen is predicting that stripe rust will be more widespread and extreme this year than in the past 15 years. The last particularly bad year for stripe rust was in 2011. Experts from the U.S. Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative are also warning about fusarium head blight and vomitoxin (DON) in winter wheat. USWBSI is reminding farmers that the best time to apply fungicides for FHB and DON management is at Feekes growth stage 10.51, when 50% of the main tillers have reached early anthesis (flowering) and up to seven (7) days following.