The Idaho Department of Water Resources has launched a $2 million grant program to help irrigators in the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer region install telemetry and monitoring technology at water diversions. The grant offers up to $250,000 per project, covering 50% of costs. Eligible applicants include groundwater and irrigation districts, canal companies, municipalities, and other water management entities. The initiative aims to improve water management efficiency and ensure sustainable water use in Idaho. Applications are due by March 28th.

Fuel prices have stabilized after years of volatility, with recent declines driven by lower crude oil costs. In the Rocky Mountain region, including Idaho, gasoline and diesel prices dropped significantly in 2023 and 2024. The primary reason for this decline is the fall in crude oil prices, which decreased due to weakened global demand and increased supply. Lower fuel costs could provide modest relief for Idaho farmers, with per-acre fuel expenses for wheat, corn, and barley projected to decline slightly in 2025. While these reductions help stabilize operating costs, fuel prices remain higher than pre-pandemic levels. Despite a stable outlook, uncertainty persists. Farmers will need to monitor these developments to manage their 2025 budgets effectively.

More than 150 Nobel and World Food Prize honorees have asked global leaders to provide financial and political support for groundbreaking “moonshot” technologies to prevent a future hunger crisis. In an open letter, they warned that the world is far from meeting future food demands, with 700 million people currently facing hunger and an additional 1.5 billion needing food by 2050. They emphasized the urgency of addressing climate change, conflict, and market pressures. The effort was led by Cary Fowler, 2024 World Food Prize Laureate and former U.S. Special Envoy for Global Food Security.

The USDA, through agencies like NASS and the Foreign Agricultural Service, publishes numerous reports annually to provide critical agricultural data. For wheat, key reports include Crop Production, Grain Stocks, and the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates. Some of these reports serve as economic indicators and are prepared under strict conditions, known as the “Lockup,” to ensure data integrity. These reports provide market information for buyers and sellers planning for the 2025 wheat harvest. U.S. Wheat supports USDA’s mission of ensuring accurate and transparent agricultural data and encourages industry stakeholders to observe the Lockup process to better understand how these reports are compiled.

According to U.S. Wheat Associates (USW), the price of U.S. soft white wheat is among the lowest in the global market at $233.32 per metric ton, which could boost future demand despite rising costs for Northwest farmers. U.S. wheat remains competitively priced compared to other countries like Ukraine, Russia, and Germany. Although there are challenges at the farm level, U.S. wheat exports are up in nine out of ten key markets, with total U.S. wheat exports projected to reach 23.1 million metric tons, a 10% increase from last year. USW is working to expand market reach through programs like the Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP), focusing on markets in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

UI Gold, a hard white spring wheat (HWS) variety developed by Dr. Jianli Chen at the University of Idaho could challenge Dayn, a popular HWS variety in southeast Idaho. UI Gold offers improved protien content, gluten strength, and bread volume. Early trials by The Arthur Companies, a licensed commercial seed producer, showed promising yields of up to 135 bushels per acre in 2023, though 2024 yields averaged 125 bushels per acre due to stripe rust. The introduction of UI Gold is an opportunity for Idaho wheat producers, millers, and buyers looking for enhanced quality and performance in HWS wheat. UI Gold is expected to be commercially available for planting in spring 2025.

Legislation proposed by lawmakers in Idaho and Washington aims to protect the four lower Snake River dams. The Northwest Energy Security Act directs the federal Columbia River power system to follow the 2020 Columbia River System Operations Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which states the dams should not be breached. Supporters argue the dams provide essential benefits, including clean hydropower, transportation, irrigation, and agricultural support, particularly for wheat growers in Idaho and the Pacific Northwest. The bill is backed by several lawmakers, organizations, and industry leaders who stress the dams' importance for sustainable power and agricultural efficiency.