Snowpack

After enduring several years of drought, Idaho farmers turn their attention right now to snowpack as a way of predicting water supply in the coming year. David Sparks, Idaho. Agg Today, Idaho water managers say that Idaho's mountain snowpack levels are off to a great start, but they also caution that a lot more is needed during a state's traditional snow accumulation season, which typically ends about April 1st. Idaho Farm Bureau spokesperson Shawn Ellis. Speaker2: Every mountain snow basin in Idaho is above 100%, 100% of normal for this time of year. Rainfall is great and it's good for soil moisture. But in southern Idaho, you don't grow anything without the water from the reservoirs. And rain doesn't fill the reservoirs. Snow fills those reservoirs. And right now, the mountain snowpack that feeds those reservoirs looks pretty good, really good for this time of year. If you get to the first part of January, that's about halfway through the snow accumulation season in Idaho. So we've still got a ways to go and it's still early, but being ahead of the game is certainly better than being behind the game at this point. And right now we're well ahead of the snow game. Long ways to go. Got to keep coming. Speaker1: Let there be snow, say the skiers and say the farmers ultimately. Speaker2: Yeah. The headline of our next magazine is going to be Let It Snow. I think farmers and ranchers all over Idaho are saying, let it snow. Let it snow, Let it snow. Speaker1: Christmas caroling aside, Aaron Wharton, Idaho water supply specialist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, told me a lot of places are really, really counting on a good snowpack this year to make up for the lack of carryover water in their reservoirs.