02/21/07 CREP signups

Southern Idaho farmers hope the state Supreme Court will issue a water case ruling before the start of the irrigation season in April. The case stems from a Gooding County district court decision that said the conjunctive management rules on surface and ground water management were unconstitutional. There has been a long standing dispute over the declining levels in the Eastern Snake Plane Aquifer. Without a court decision, some farmers who might enroll the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program are biding their time. Under CREP the goal is to take 100 thousand farm acres and its water out of production. State FSA Director Wayne Hammon says 15 thousand acres have been approved already and another 25 thousand acres are in the midst of the review process. HAMMON "The water that would have normally irrigated that ground is then put in the state's water bank and so the water right is not used. That frees up the state to do other things with and so while you're in the contract for 15 years the state guards that water right for you so when you come out of the program you get the water right back." Producers have until the end of the year to enroll but they have to do it prior to a state water call being made on their crop production land. Now we wait and see what the Supreme Court says. HAMMON "Some of the best legal minds in the state will figure out what that means and we will see a lot of people in the door in a short period of time before the Water Resources actually send out those letters." Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott