Rising Beyond Farms, ID

09/18/2024

They did an excellent job with this video. One thing I would like to point out is that this is a multi year project. It isn’t like Progressive Irrigation District just started this project 3 months ago when the State of Idaho sent out the curtailments. SE Idaho growers and water districts have been working on building systems like this for years now. There are two in the main canal system that irrigates the majority of the ground I operate. They aren’t at this size or at as good of a location as this one however we have been utilizing them.

An impressive video about the new South Fork Recharge Project near Ririe, Idaho.

08/10/2024

Harvest is in full swing at this point. Busting out some Hard White Spring Wheat for searle_ag. This type of wheat is unique to SE Idaho and fills a need with local mills and elevators that they can’t get anywhere else. Those mills and their customers that utilize this wheat and the quality we raise in SE Idaho will be forced to find alternatives if we don’t have the water required to raise this crop.

06/21/2024

When you’re spraying by hand with no gps, no booms and no foam. Hey at least the strips are even. 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️ 😂 😂

06/19/2024

Agreement signed for this year by all parties. This is only for the 2024 growing season. We still need to work on putting a plan together that keeps this from happing in the future. Still a long ways to go but progress is being made.

Groundwater irrigators and surface water irrigators have completed a deal that saves 330,000 acres of Idaho farmland from being dried up and averts economic catastrophe in the state.

06/18/2024

Lt Gov Bedke isn’t totally accurate in this interview. The curtailment is just not being “activity enforced”. We are still under threat of the curtailment. We are still under threat of fines for disobeying an order. This is not just a farmer issues. Farmers are not the only water users. Farmers are not the only ones using ground water. This is a state issue which is why the legislature and the governor should be involved.

I don’t want the government telling us how to do things anymore than anyone else. However there’s current state statues that are obviously out dated and need revisited and brought into check with how we currently use our resources. A rule that was put in place before pumping was being used to irrigate crops is no longer relevant when we are dealing with pumping issues.

No decision as been made as far as I know as of today. Until an agreement is signed we are still under a curtailment, we are still under threat of loosing everything and we are still under threat of fines. These are critical times for our crops. This is when yields are made. If we stress the crop now, we will certainly cause damage. Those that have abided by the curtailment have stressed their crops, have cause harm, what is their recourse when we find out there never was going to be an issue anyways?

It’s time to get a solution in place that allows farmers to continue to farm this year. It’s time to start working on solutions for the future and it’s time to find solutions to secure Idaho’s water for future generations.

The Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce along with the Bonneville County Commissioner's Office, are calling on Governor Brad Little to step in and prevent this curtailment from devastating the economy.

06/17/2024

Breach of Agreement?
This is the question that still in debate.
Surface Water Coalition says yes.
Idaho Ground Water Appropriators says no.
Director of the Idaho Department of Water Resources says yes.
The courts…..still undecided.

The Black Line is the 240,000 Acre Feet that IGWA agreed to conserve under the 2016 agreement. Using 5 year averages the SWC presented information and modeling that IGWA used to agree on. Ground water users were asked to reduce their usage annually based off the average of the previous 5 years usage. It didn’t matter what your water right was. It didn’t take into account any upgraded made to the system over the life of the farm, such as move from flood irrigation…ya that’s right they used to pump ground water and flood irrigate the crops. Then we upgraded to sprinkler irrigation, hand lines, wheel lines. Which are way more efficient than flood irrigation. Then upgraded to pivot irrigation which is even more efficient. There are additional upgrades to help with efficiency as well. If you had already done all those you were stuck with the fact that you still had to reduce your usage from the previous 5 years.

Blue Bars represent the amount of Acre Feet conserved by the Ground Water Users. Either didn’t get pumped out of the ground, or was recharged into the aquifer.

The Green Line is the 5 year Running average starting at year 5.

Were the Ground Water District in Breach of the 2016 contract?

06/15/2024

IDWR paused the curtailment for the time being. With a potential agreement being signed for 2024, Director Weaver paused curtailment enforcement. That’s good news for SE Idaho Farmers.

06/15/2024

Press Release from IDWR