The Project

Partners include: Idaho State Department of Agriculture, Idaho’s Soil Conservation Districts, the Idaho Dairymen’s Association, Farm Bureau, and Cattlemen’s Association, the University of Idaho, and offices of USDA/NRCS, and EPA.

The Idaho Pilot builds on its prototype web-based Idaho OnePlan, which helps farmers develop individualized conservation plans utilizing a GIS interface. The Idaho Dairymen’s Association (IDA) is collaborating to develop, test, and evaluate the assessment tools with its members. IDA has taken the lead in bringing every dairy into compliance with the Clean Water Act through Nutrient Management Plans. With environmental challenges posed by a rural-to-urban population shift, IDA will use the new EMS tools for odor and facility siting to continue its pro-active environmental stewardship.

Updates

Final Summary - December 2005:

View the Final Report Summary.

March 2004:

View the Summary Interim Project Report.

Summer 2003:

This spring, the Idaho pilot project organized stakeholder meetings and developed and field-tested a 24-page EMS booklet. Subsequently, the project team has carried out a series of in-depth interviews with stakeholders, including a group of small-sized (65 to 400 cows) dairies within a single watershed that is in the process of implementing TMDL requirements. Eleven dairy owners agreed to participate. All participants recently completed the Idaho Department of Agriculture CNMP as required by law. The 32-question survey was used to evaluate stakeholder and producer opinions about using EMS to integrate environmental considerations into production decisions.

Among the preliminary findings: Idaho Dairy producers tend to discuss environmental issues in very local terms. Producers were positive about the capability of the EMS approach to help identify problems, but felt that it did not satisfy a need for problem-solving information. Producers were also concerned about the lack of on-the-ground examples of operating agricultural EMSs. Many stated that the EMS approach made them more aware of environmental issues. The potential for EMS to protect producers from environmental liability also elicited strong positive statements. A parallel set of interviews with Idaho stakeholders indicated that they were also attracted by the potential of an EMS to address environmental liability concerns and that they agreed it is important to have a product that addresses environmental liability.

January 2003:

The Idaho project initially plans to pilot farmer-friendly (Tier 1) environmental assessments, and may expand to piloting a full EMS program (perhaps following an EMS training program). The pilot will recruit at least 10 farms in each of 3 locations, and may pursue the full EMS with anywhere from 3 to 50 depending on farmer buy-in. Project is in the process of coordinating effort with Idaho One Plan.

November 2002

Idaho has expanded their Idaho project team to include:

• Wayne Newbill of Newbill Seeds, who has taken over the EMS implementation lead as well as the Idaho OnePlan implementation lead
• Dale Van Beak, a dairy producer
• Scott Koberg, planner, and
• Flip Phillips, a row crop and beef producer

September 2002

Project is in the process of coordinating effort with Idaho One Plan.

The Idaho project initially plans to pilot farmer-friendly (Tier 1) environmental assessments, and may expand to piloting a full EMS program (perhaps following an EMS training program). The pilot will recruit at least 10 farms in each of 3 locations, and may pursue the full EMS with anywhere from 3 to 50 depending on farmer buy-in. Projected date to be on farms: mid-April 2002.

© 2004 by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System.