01/10/08 Record setting year for Idaho ag, part two

As we reported yesterday Idaho farmers and ranchers enjoyed record profits on record sales in 2007. But what about this year? Garth Taylor is a University of Idaho agricultural economist. TAYLOR "Corn and wheat prices the futures on them for a couple of years out are still very good. They're really good for as long out as they sell futures for." Taylor says as dairy goes so goes Idaho. TAYLOR "Ten years ago the big four ag commodities, milk, beef, potatoes and wheat were 70 percent of our cash receipts. Now they're 80 percent." That means some of Idaho's crop diversity is vanishing. Of the state's 5.6 billion dollars in agriculture cash receipts last year the dairy industry generated just over two billion dollars while beef and calf sales added another one billion dollars. Potato sales were an all-time high at 721 million while wheat added 511 million. Sugarbeets did lose ground last year with receipts down 13 percent to 207 million. Through it all Idaho farmers and ranchers don't depend on the government for their livelihood. TAYLOR "Idaho gets less than one percent of the total government payments that are paid to farmers in the United States. Less than one percent." 108 million dollars in government payments to Idaho producers last year were down 23 percent from 2006. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott