Archive for August, 2009
Make Way for Boomers
Baby boomers comprise 23% of the U.S. population. The group includes those between the age of 43 and 63 years. Where will this segment of the population choose to live as they approach retirement? The USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) forecasts that many will follow the migration pattern of the 1990s, and move to predominately rural [...]
Idaho Rural Land Values 2009
Idaho farm land values for 2009 did not follow the recent trend of the real estate boom. The National Agricultural Statistics Service annually publishes average values by state. Ratios of market to annual cash rent indicate relative market demand for farm and ranchland. The August 2009 Idaho data suggest that market values have declined as a result [...]
Families Facing Uncertainty in Agriculture
[ October 7, 2009; 10:00 am to 11:00 am. October 14, 2009; 10:00 am to 11:00 am. October 21, 2009; 10:00 am to 11:00 am. ]
A Webinar series on Agriculture in Uncertain Times. Three sessions in October will discuss Families Facing Uncertainty.
The Webinars begin at 10:00 am (Mountain). Conference sponsors include University Extension Programs. Read more>>
Getting Real About Sustainability
[ October 7, 2009 to October 9, 2009. ] Second Annual Idaho American Planning Association Conference.
Location: Red Lion Boise Downtowner, 1800 Fairview Avenue, Boise, Idaho.
For conference details>>
Interim Committee Reviews State of Working Lands
The Natural Resources Interim Committee convened July 31st. The agenda devoted the majority of the day to House Concurrent Resolution 18 (HCR 18), adopted in the 2009 legislative session. The Idaho Legislature requested that the Interim Committee “gather information from interested groups and existing resources regarding the extent of conversion of working forests, ranches and farms to other [...]
Land Use Controls or Financial Incentives
In 2005, the Working Lands Coalition initiated a review of policy alternatives to retain forests, ranches and farms. The Coalition Partners reached a consensus that they preferred financial incentives as an alternative to additional government regulation. The Natural Resources Interim Committee, in their July 31st meeting, recognized the contribution of working lands to the state of Idaho, [...]
Value of Open Space
Conservation easements are a financial incentive to retain forests, farms and ranches in production. Do properties with open space easements contribute to or detract from rural communities? The Natural Resources Interim Committee raised several questions related to this topic during the Committee’s review of Working Lands. The existing information resources, documented in the online Bibliography, [...]
Presentations to the Natural Resources Interim Committee
Working lands stakeholders appeared before the Natural Resources Interim Committee on July 31st to offer their views on the conversion of Idaho’s working lands. Five organizations documented their testimony, either in a written statement or a PowerPoint presentation. Readers can access the materials submitted by five organizations listed below.
Click the organization’s name to initiate a download of the respective document.
Idaho Working Lands Coalition (PowerPoint slide-show)
Idaho Department of Fish [...]
Summary of Federal Conservation Funding
Resources for the Future released a summary of federal conservation and recreation funding programs. The summary information includes the administrative agency, year established, allocation of funds in 2008, and the acres conserved by the program. The summary also includes a brief description of each federal program. In general, the grants for conservation acquisitions require matching [...]
