H467: Idaho Ranch, Farm and Forest Protection Act

Read the Lewiston Morning Tribune's feature on H467's committee hearing

Editorial: Hard-won compromise falls in house

Idaho Falls Post Register: "Wildly popular bill falls"

Rocky Barker blogs on the H467 outcome

Idaho Ranch, Farm, Forest Bill Pulled The backers of the H467—the Idaho Ranch, Farm and Forest Protection Act—have decided to pull the bill from consideration following a hearing with the House Revenue and Tax Committee. The committee voted Monday to change the bill, despite two years of work by the broad-based Idaho Working Lands Coalition. “We did not see any favorable outcome in going to the amending order to have a carefully crafted compromise altered beyond what our coalition could support,” says Suzi Budge, a coalition advisor. The coalition also believed that the hearing revealed sufficient opposition to the bill they prepared that it would not pass. The bill would have provided a tax credit to farmers, ranchers and forest owners who agree to protect their land from development. The bill was supported by a broad coalition of agricultural, sporting and conservation organizations, representing 100,000 Idahoans. Representatives from the Idaho Farm Bureau, Idaho Cattle Association, Idaho Food Producers, Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife and Idaho Department of Fish and Game, as well as individual farmers and ranchers, testified in favor of the bill at the hearing. “We are disappointed in this outcome, but we are so appreciative of the broad coalition that worked together to protect working farms, ranches and forests, and the wildlife habitat and clean water they provide for all Idahoans,” says Laird Noh, the former state senator and sheep rancher who supports the coalition. “We are grateful for the incredible support this proposal received from landowners, sportsmen and the media across the state.” The coalition also announced that it remains committed to market-based incentives to keep working lands working. It cited a recent poll conducted by Bob Moore of Moore Information in which 83% of Idahoans expressed support for such a tax credit. “As more people call Idaho home, we need market-based solutions that protect what makes Idaho special, and to ensure that growth occurs in the most sensible manner,” says Noh. “We will continue to reach out to all legislators and interests to address the protection of Idaho’s farms, ranches and forests." The Idaho Working Lands Coalition includes the Idaho Farm Bureau, Idaho Cattle Association, Idaho Conservation League, Idaho Farm Bureau, Idaho Forest Owners Association, Idaho Grain Producers Association, Idaho Smart Growth, Idaho Sportsmen’s Caucus Advisory Council, Idaho Wildlife Federation, Idaho Wool Growers Association, Intermountain Forest Association, Potlatch Corporation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, The Nature Conservancy, The Trust for Public Land and a coalition of Idaho land trusts.

Keep Working Lands Working:
Idaho's working farms, ranches and timberlands offer the way of life, rural character, open space and outdoor recreation so vital to maintaining Idaho's natural resource heritage. Working together we have the opportunity to protect and preserve some of Idaho's most critical and important working lands. Incentives will help ensure that workings lands remain working, and will reward good stewards of the land.

A work group representing farmers, ranchers, timber companies, conservationists and sportsmen came together in 2005 to discuss changing rural landscapes. The work group has proposed a tax credit that would protect working ranchers, farms, and forest.

The Ranch, Farm, and Forest Protection Act would:
1. Provide state income tax credits to willing landowner who make a qualifying     conservation contribution.
2. Focus the allocation of tax credits on working lands that provide important
    benefits to fish and wildlife.
3. Create sufficient oversight to ensure effective use of tax credits and
    safeguard against , and
4. Provide sufficient incentive while minimizing the impact to the state budget.

The group has a vision for Idaho as a state in which:

Rural areas support natural resource uses that contribute to Idaho's
    economy and the vitality of local communities;

Urban areas thrive sensibly and and sensible places;

Idahoans continue to enjoy healthy wildlife populations, clean water,
    clean air, open space, and opportunities for hunting, fishing, and outdoor
    recreation; and

Good stewardship is valued and rewarded.

Poll: Idahoans Support Incentives for Farmers, Ranchers and Timber Owners

READ THE ACT