House committee sends bill on alfalfa and clover seed commission to floor, raises assessment ceiling to 1 cent

The Idaho House Agriculture Affairs Committee voted to send House Bill 173 to the full House with a "do pass" recommendation after testimony from growers and the commission asking for changes to the Idaho Alfalfa and Clover Seed Commission.

Sponsor Representative Sean Deigert (R-District 23) told the committee the bill would alter the commission’s membership and raise the legal ceiling for the per-pound assessment to 1 cent. "House Bill 173 is, relating to the alfalfa and clover seed commission," Deigert said. "It changes some other board members and it goes from a board of, the commission itself will be go from 6 to 7 members. 5 of those are going to be alfalfa and clover seed growers, 1 represented from the University of Idaho, and 1 alfalfa seed and clover seed dealer."

The change in the assessment ceiling drew questioning from committee members. Rick Whateley, administrator of the Idaho Alfalfa Clover Seed Commission and executive director of the Bridle Alfalfa Clover Seed Growers Association, described the industry’s small size and the rationale behind the request. He said the commission’s statutory work is limited to "education, research, and promotion," and that the sector’s shrinking producer and dealer base has reduced the pool of people available to serve on the commission. Whateley said the current assessment is 0.005 dollars (one-half cent) per pound and that the bill would cap the maximum assessment at 1 cent per pound while allowing incremental increases within that ceiling when needed.

Grower Paul Raskershek of Nampa said national association dues and costs for research and pest control represent a large share of the commission’s budget; he testified that most growers in the state support the assessment increase to maintain access to pesticides, entomology support and other services. Whateley described recent contributions by the commission and grower association — including a multi‑year pledge to the University of Idaho Parma research and extension center — and said the commission collects assessments only at the first point of sale from dealers, which in recent decades has meant collection from far fewer dealers than in the past.

Representative Miller moved that the committee send HB 173 to the House floor with a due pass recommendation. The motion was approved by voice vote; committee members responded "Aye," and the chairman announced the motion passed. Representative Deigert was named the floor sponsor.

The bill will proceed to the House for further consideration; the committee record shows the committee vote was by voice and no roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.