Idaho seed industry tells House Agriculture Affairs Committee it is a global leader but faces farmland, pesticide and water risks

Roger Batt, executive director of the Idaho Eastern Oregon Seed Association, told the House Agriculture Affairs Committee on Feb. 20 that “seed is the cornerstone of agriculture” and described Idaho as one of six global seed-production regions.

Batt said the United States accounts for roughly 34.5% of global seed production and that Idaho ranks No. 1 in production of several seed crops. He told the committee the industry’s internal analysis values Idaho’s seed sector at about $800,000,000 and, using a University of Idaho multiplier, generates roughly $1.5 billion in statewide economic impact.

The value and reach of Idaho seed production, Batt said, underpins national food security. “Seed is to agriculture what microchips are to technology,” he said, adding the state ships seed to about 120 countries.

Batt summarized where the seed industry is concentrated and which crops drive value. He said Idaho produces about 65% of the world’s sweet corn seed (mostly in the Treasure Valley/Canyon County), is the nation’s largest producer of carrot and onion seed, leads dry bean seed production, and supplies much of the colored popcorn market. He described crop values per acre and said seed crops often pay far more per acre than commodity crops, citing sweet corn seed at almost $11,400 per acre and onion seed above $22,600 per acre in the industry dataset he presented.

Batt and the association supplied a county-level sample of production fields in Canyon County to show field sizes and fragmentation: of 3,382 sampled fields, 1,635 (48.34%) were under 5 acres, 491 (about 14.52%) fell between 5 and 10 acres, and only 28 fields in the sample exceeded 40 acres. Batt said the small, irregular parcels reflect historic irrigation-based field layouts and increasing pressure from development.

He identified four principal risks to Idaho’s seed industry: loss of farmland and isolation necessary for seed purity, loss or restriction of pesticide chemistries and difficulty getting new products labeled for seed use, uncertainty of irrigation water and diminishing return flows in the Treasure Valley, and the aging farm workforce with fewer young farmers entering seed production.

On pesticide concerns, Batt described the industry’s reliance on labeled products and noted the removal of chlorpyrifos (Lorsban) as an example. “There’s really not a great alternative to that product right now,” he said, describing consequences for management of seed maggots in sweet corn and onion seed.

Committee members asked about the risk profile for growers, detasseling and hybrid seed production, intellectual property, tariffs and contracts. Batt said producing seed is “a high risk venture,” that growers must meet contract standards for purity and germination or face field “red tagging” and loss of payment, and that most proprietary germplasm information is confidential. In response to a question on tariffs, Batt said the issue is new and the industry was still assessing effects.

Batt closed the presentation by offering a sample seed box from the Idaho Eastern Oregon Seed Association and answering committee questions; the committee did not take formal action on the presentation.