Total federal government payments to Idaho farmers and ranchers dropped by an estimated 44 percent in fiscal year 2017.
According to an annual report by University of Idaho agricultural economists, the state’s producers received $89 million in government payments in fiscal 2017. That amount accounted for about 4.5 percent of Idaho farmers’ and ranchers’ total net farm income in fiscal 2017, while government payments accounted for 17.7 percent of total U.S. net farm income. Fewer than 1 percent of total U.S. farm payments went to Idaho producers.
Researchers say Idaho agriculture is much less reliant on federal government payments than the rest of the U.S. because Gem State farmers don’t grow many acres of crops that receive the bulk of government payments related to farm bill programs. Most of the government payments Idaho farmers and ranchers received in fiscal 2017 were from the Price Loss Coverage and Agriculture Risk Coverage programs. Both are authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill and help compensate growers when commodity prices are low.
The report says most of the payments that Idaho producers received in fiscal 2017 were related to low grain prices, while milk program payments in Idaho were down due to slightly higher prices.
The rest of the government payments to Idaho growers came from the farm bill’s conservation programs, and those were down significantly as well. (Capital Press)
