Senate committee advances bill to update Idaho Alfalfa and Clover Seed Commission; raises assessment ceiling

The Idaho Senate Agricultural Affairs Committee voted to send House Bill 173 to the floor with a "do pass" recommendation, advancing proposed changes to the Idaho Alfalfa and Clover Seed Commission that would expand board representation and raise the statutory ceiling on grower assessments.

Supporters said the changes are intended to preserve industry access to research, pest management expertise and national advocacy. "For years it was called the Idaho Alfalfa Seed Commission," said Rick Waitley, administrator of the Idaho Alfalfa Clover Seed Commission and executive director of the Idaho Alfalfa Clover Seed Growers Association. He told the committee the commission stepped in after a Nevada seed buyer’s bankruptcy left Idaho growers exposed and that adding clover to the commission name was necessary to participate in the related…