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Idaho seed industry representatives detail production, economic impact and risks
Summary
Roger Batt, executive director of the Idaho Eastern Oregon Seed Association, told the Senate Agriculture Committee the seed sector contributes substantial economic value to the state and faces threats including loss of farmland, pesticide-label changes and water uncertainty.
Roger Batt, executive director of the Idaho Eastern Oregon Seed Association, told the Senate Agriculture Committee that seed production is a specialized industry concentrated in parts of the state and is vital to food security.
"It all starts with the seed," Batt said, describing seed as "the cornerstone of agriculture" and saying the United States accounts for about 34.5% of global seed production. He told the committee that Idaho is one of six global seed-production regions and that production clusters in the Treasure Valley, Magic Valley and eastern and northern Idaho.
Batt provided crop-specific figures: Canyon County produces about 65% of the world’s sweet corn seed (he said that share was higher two decades ago), Idaho leads the U.S. in carrot seed with roughly 4,000 acres in production, Idaho ranks first in dry bean production, and onion and popcorn production are also major in the state. He said the seed sector in Idaho produces about 50 different seed crops and thousands of varieties.
Batt described a 16-month industry data collection (Feb. 2022 to Feb. 2023) in which companies and growers provided information to estimate a direct statewide economic impact of about $800 million; with multipliers, Batt said the industry’s total economic impact would be about $1.5 billion. Batt told the committee the $800 million number reflects farm-gate value, research and development costs, water, labor and related manufacturing and service activity.
He listed four principal concerns for the industry: loss of farmland and resulting isolation problems for seed crops; maintenance of pesticide labels and registrations — citing the withdrawal of chlorpyrifos as an example that reduced options for controlling pests such as sweet corn seed maggot; uncertainty of water supply and changing return flows in the Treasure Valley; and an aging farmer population and difficulty attracting new growers.
Batt emphasized seed production’s high per-acre value compared with many commodity crops; he cited example figures presented to the committee: sweet corn seed average value about $11,500 per acre (farm gate and manufacturing), carrot seed about $13,464 per acre and onion seed about $22,629 per acre. He also described the industry’s production structure: research and development and foundation seed work, grower contracts for seed production, and local service vendors and manufacturers.
Batt and association members made seed samples available to the committee and explained that many seed varieties are naturally bred rather than genetically engineered. He urged continued cooperation among producers, state partners and federal agencies to address pesticide registration and water uncertainties.
"We always say without fail ... whoever controls the seed controls the food supply," Batt said, summarizing the association’s view of seed’s strategic importance.
Committee members asked technical and clarifying questions about seeding rates, growing seasons and historic acreage for crops such as alfalfa; association representatives deferred to company experts for crop-specific details such as seed-per-acre yields.
