Celia Gould reflects on first year as ag director
By Carol Ryan Dumas, Ag Weekly editor
Monday, February 25, 2008 6:59 PM CST
 |
| Idaho State Department of Agriculture Celia Gould visits with Lewie Eilers following the Agri-Action breakfast Friday at the Turf Club in Twin Falls. CAROL RYAN DUMAS/Ag Weekly |
TWIN FALLS, Idaho - Playing to a crowd of fellow home-grown Magic Valley producers, Celia Gould hit on the triumphs and challenges of Idaho agriculture during her initiation year as director of the state Department of Agriculture. Gould was the guest speaker at the Agri-Action breakfast held Friday morning at the Turf Club in Twin Falls.
Operating under a $38 million budget, Gould, a long-time state legislator and cattle rancher from Buhl now oversees 400 employees year round and 700 in peak season.
“It’s been a bit of a roller coaster, there have been some steep learning curves,” she said.
The first issue Gould was faced with was getting back the state’s brucellosis class-free status, which the state had lost in 2006 when the disease was found in eastern Idaho. With the collaboration and hard work of agencies and the cattle industry, that class-free status was returned in July 2007, she said.
And as of Feb. 1, the United States, Puerto Rica and the Virgin Islands share the class-free status for the first time in the history of the 74-year-old National brucellosis eradication program.
Another collaborative effort has led to a proposed livestock research center in the Magic Valley. The facility will also house the ISDA diagnostic lab and the Caine Veterinary Teaching and Research Center, now located at Caldwell. With a national shortage of big-animal veterinarians, a veterinary education program is also in the plan.
The facility will provide a “world-class setting for beef and dairy research,” Gould said.
Along the lines of animal ID, the state launched Locate in 48 last month for livestock producers to register premises with ISDA. Gould encouraged producers to participate in the voluntary program, saying the ISDA database of premises is confidential. The program will help producers respond effectively and quickly - within a 48 hour period - if an animal disease or food-safety issues arises, and it is vital to consumer confidence, she said.
Other positive happenings in 2007 include a 17 percent rise in Idaho ag exports to foreign countries (in the first nine months of the year). The increase is largely due to improved economics in countries such as China and India, where consumers are seeking good sources of protein, including Idaho’s peas, lentils and dried beans.
In addition, cash receipts for Gem State producers in 2007 were up across the board from 2006. Idaho producers realized a projected $5.6 billion in cash receipts, a 25 percent increase from 2006. And in 2007, Idaho’s net farm income is expected to come in 78 percent higher than 2006, well over the 48 percent expected nationwide.
Nonetheless, challenges in 2007 will carry over into 2008, Gould said.
At the top of the list is the shortage of water. Last year, about 600 irrigators narrowly escaped curtailment by the Idaho Department of Water Resources, responding to water calls by senior right holders. That is a scenario that could readily return if Mother Nature doesn’t fill reservoirs this year, she said.
The growing threat of wildfires was seen in full color last year as 650,000 acres burned in what is called the Murphy Complex, killing livestock and charring grazing land. The whole state was declared a disaster area by the USDA secretary of agriculture.
“That won’t make affected producers whole, but it is a step,” Gould said.
“The biggest challenge we face is from extremists in the environmental community,” she said. “The common thread in all these threats truly is water,”
She said the hurdle has been getting people with differing viewpoints to the table to discuss issues reasonably to find resolution. One group, in particular, has been very difficult, she added.
But the state has seen some success with other environmental groups. For instance, an agreement on field burning was reached with the environmental group SAFE (Safe Air for Everyone) in which burning will be allowed but oversight of the program will be transferred from ISDA to the Department of Environmental Quality. The agreement still must be approved by the Idaho Legislature, the state Board of Environmental Quality and the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
An ongoing fight for ISDA will be the eradication of pests, such as aquatic weeds Eurasian milfoil and hydrilla, and quagga mussels (a mollusk that can clog irrigation pipes and screens) - all of which pose a threat to irrigation water delivery.
“We’ve got some pretty big threats,” Gould said.
But there is also a reason to be optimistic about agriculture, she said.
According to a report by the University of Idaho, which showed double-digit growth in Idaho’s on-farm cash receipts in 2007, ag jobs and revenue will grow as increased demand pushes commodity prices higher.
“We all have our challenges and opportunities,” she said. “I’ve shared some of my challenges at the department; you could share yours of higher input costs. But our opportunity is that as farmers and ranchers, we are the backbone of American society, and we will continue to fulfill our obligation to provide food, fiber, feed, and fuel.”
Comments »
Comment on this story
Comments will be approved within 48 hours
|
