Seed-industry representatives tell Caldwell leaders small-acre farmland drives statewide economy, urge protection

George Crookam, a seed-industry representative, told the Caldwell City Council that Canyon County and the Treasure Valley are a globally important center for seed production and urged local officials to account for the sector when planning land use.

Crookam told council members that “when I say Treasure Valley, this is mainly Canyon County” and that the area’s combination of high desert climate and irrigation produces seed with “reduced disease and insect pressure.” He said the region grows more than 50 seed species and over 100 varieties and that “today, Canyon County, Treasure Valley grows 60% of the world's temperate sweet corn seed.”

The presentation explained why the local seed economy depends on many small fields rather than the large fields found in other states. Crookam said 45% of local seed production fields are 5 acres or less and 59% are 10 acres or less, and he warned that fragmentation caused by residential development reduces the isolation growers need to maintain seed purity. “If we get crop cross contamination by bees on onions or by wind on corn, it renders the crop unsalable,” he said.

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