11/28/05 Idaho One Plan

Idaho One Plan provides data and software to help growers develop a single conservation farm plan. NEWBILL "All of a sudden all of the agencies realized that they needed this tool. They needed to make it work. We were in a jam. We had to have something that was going to make this happen." Wayne Newbill is the coordinator of One Plan, a computer program that is pre-endorsed by various agencies, streamlining and simplifying the regulatory process that farmers face. The site helps producers plan their conservation program but a professional planner from a local conservation district works with them to see that goals are met. NEWBILL "Idaho farmers have always been proactive and ahead of the rest of the nation. In our research we discovered that Idaho farmers lead the nation in computer use by farmers. 82 percent of Idaho farmers use a computer. Our programs are all computer driven, either web based or else they're based on your own PC. That's what makes this such a neat fit. I was astonished that the agencies all got along as well as they have and now we're mixing farmers into that mix and so you can see the possibility for some real conflict." The Idaho One Plan can be found at www.oneplan.org. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott