04/15/08 Global warming impacts on Idaho ag, part 2

University of Idaho extension agronomist Juliet Windes says there will be changes to Idaho agriculture in the next 20 to 25 years. Her global warming conclusions are drawn on scientific knowledge but Windes knows that many people chose to ignore that. WINDES "Ignore it all you want to but we still have to come up with a way to make our land produce more and more people want housing and with more farm land covered up. We're going to be producing more on less land with less water and more fights for that water." Water is the key to Idaho's agricultural future and its growing urban areas with their green grass lawns and European type gardens. WINDES "We don't pay for our water on a per usage basis. In a desert it doesn't make any sense so I think we're going to have to address conservation issues across the board and its going to hit us hard." Windes says humans and plants are adaptable but she says Idaho needs the capability to make those changes. WINDES "That means research dollars. That means plant breeding. That means focusing whatever energy resources that we can utilize that are sustainable, that are green." Learn more about Windes' work online at http://www.ag.uidaho.edu/scseidaho/. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott