University of Idaho urges funding for viticulture specialist and maintenance for new research dairy

Michael Perella, dean of the University of Idaho College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, told the Senate Agricultural Affairs Committee that the college is asking the Legislature to fund a viticulture and small-fruits research and extension specialist to be based in Parma and to provide building maintenance funding for the Idaho Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment, a research dairy being completed in Rupert.

Perella framed the requests in the college’s land‑grant mission, saying, "the land grant mission, that is the DNA of the College of Ag and Life Sciences at the University of Idaho." He told senators the college hires faculty who must engage stakeholders and deliver applied research across the state, and said the viticulture specialist would provide site‑specific applied research and extension services for Idaho’s wine‑grape growers.

Why it matters: Perella said Idaho now has three American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) and six distinct wine‑growing regions, and growers need a local, research‑based source of information as the industry expands. He also asked the committee to support maintenance and operating funding for the large research dairy in Rupert, where a rotary milking parlor is completed and the college expects to begin milking cows within about a year.

Perella summarized the college’s broader role in statewide agriculture and extension — referencing the Morrill Act, the Hatch Act and the Smith‑Lever Act as the foundation for the college’s research and extension structure — and described the university’s network of research and extension centers (including Aberdeen, Kimberly and Parma) that, he said, perform crop‑breeding and other applied research. He noted the long timelines for some breeding programs: “by the time you come up with a new cultivar and get it approved by McDonald’s, there is at least a 10 year time frame,” he said.

Committee members thanked Perella for the presentation. Senator Taylor described a recent visit to the research dairy and said she was glad it remains on track. Senator Van Orden asked where Perella sees agricultural expansion in Idaho; Perella identified viticulture as one growth area and said rotational crops that improve soil health remain a possibility, cautioning that new crops such as hemp draw mixed interest.

Perella also noted the college’s extension programs, including county extension offices and 4‑H programming that reaches tens of thousands of Idaho youth. He closed by inviting committee members to visit the Rupert facility and said the college will continue to provide updates as the dairy and other projects move toward operation.

Ending: The committee did not vote on the college’s requests during this hearing. Perella’s presentation will inform legislative budget decisions and the college’s specific funding requests in the governor’s budget.