08/15/08 Coalition for Agriculture's Future

The Coalition for Agriculture's Future has been formed from more than a dozen agribusinesses and associations and Caldwell's George Crookham is its new chairman. The coalition's newly hired executive director Roger Batt says companies like Crookham, Nunhems, Dorsing Seeds and Syngenta Seeds are represented and want to preserve agricultural lands rather than see them turned into urban and commercial development. BATT "We're not telling farmers and ranchers that they cannot sell their ground or get into any property type issues. But we just want to offer a different perspective on things that when you start to take away agricultural production and you start to develop it, put houses and buildings and those kinds of things on it your food supply is going to diminish and so how are we going to replace that. That is the big question. Do we really want to subdivide this or she we actually put it out in an area were we can still use the land and at the same time allow active agricultural production to take place." Batt says they've hired a media consultant and are planning an outreach program. BATT "I think that it is our job as people in agriculture, work in agriculture, work with ag producers and in the industry to educate folks about these issues." Batt says they will work to elect government officials who will look favorably on Idaho agricultural interests and they'll be at the table for discussions about smart growth and agricultural land issues. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott