This is the seventh segment in the Land and Legacy: Farming in Idaho series.
Today, we're exploring how development pressure, zoning decisions, and legal protections are reshaping Idaho agriculture —- building on our look at how rapid growth and farmland loss are transforming farming itself, and how rural communities can safeguard their agricultural economies and identity.
Here’s a little background: from 2017 to 2022, there was a seven percent decline in the number of farms in America. In Idaho, more than 2,000 farms disappeared.
As Idaho grows, what does that mean for farmland, water and the future of our rural communities? We’re sitting down with farmers and planners, city managers and experts to cover a wide array of topics, including what the future holds.
Miguel Villafana, a farmer in Caldwell, Idaho, past planning and zoning commissioner for Canyon County, and senior ag lender for Zions Bank, Tristan Winegar, a farmer in Weiser and president of the Washington County Farm Bureau and Braden Jensen, director of government affairs with the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation, joined Idaho Matters, along with Grace Crookham-Guy, marketing and events coordinator for Grow Idaho to help wrap up this series.
