02/07/05 Irrigation water`s economic impact

When crops and livestock are harvested, processed, and sold, income flows into the local economy. University of Idaho Extension educators Bill Hazen and Bob Ohlensehlen analyzed the economic impacts of water use for six Magic Valley counties last fall. They found that 4.9 million acre-feet of water produced 1.9 billion dollars in crops, livestock, and processed food products. Put another way, that's $387 for every acre-foot of water diverted in Twin Falls, Jerome, Minidoka, Cassia, Gooding and Lincoln counties. Hazen says value added commodities bring bigger economic returns. HAZEN "We use the water to raise the alfalfa that we feed to dairy cows that we milk. The milk is processed into cheese locally. So each time you can keep those products at home and add value to them it just increases the economy. You have the same thing in potatoes and sugarbeets." Calculating further, the study shows that 288 acre-feet of water support one agricultural production or processing job. That's a total of 17,000 jobs. Altogether, say Hazen and Ohlensehlen, every 120 acre-feet of water used in the six-county area for agricultural production and processing creates a job somewhere in the Magic Valley economy. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott