11/25/08 Coalition wants to save ag lands

The Coalition for Agriculture's Future was formed from more than a dozen agribusinesses and associations earlier this year. The coalition's executive director Roger Batt says companies like Crookham, Nunhems, Dorsing Seeds and Syngenta Seeds want to preserve agricultural lands rather than see them turned into increasing 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. 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." The coalition scored its first victory this month by backing and financially supporting the winning Canyon County commission candidate who looks favorably at Idaho agricultural interests. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott