Idaho Farming Community Focused On The Budget This Session

The 2026 Idaho legislative session kicked off Monday, and while there are few Ag centric issues before lawmakers, that doesn’t mean the farming community won't be impacted by decisions made in Boise.  Dexton Lake, Idaho Farm Bureau Federation Government Affairs Director, said like the rest of the state, farm country will keep a close eye on the budget.

“For this fiscal year that we're currently in, there's a 40-ish million-dollar deficit," Lake said.  "And then the projection for next fiscal year is somewhere between, $5.5 million to $1 billion.  And, it depends on if the state conforms with the One Big Beautiful Bill.”

Budget Shortfall And Farm Country

To address the budget shortfall, state agencies were told in August to trim their budgets by roughly 3%.  And then, in September, Lake says those departments were told those cuts would be permanent.

How has that impacted the Idaho Ag industry?

"In our conversations with Department of Ag, they said, the budget cuts that we are having, no customers will necessarily see that," Lake said.  "It's all mostly internal, just fat that we could trim off, and we're happy with that.  It'll be interesting to see, you know, if there's a more aggressive approach the legislature takes.”

Other Issues Could Crop Up

Outside of the budget, Lake said he wouldn’t be surprised if the issue of Ag Labor and E-Verify is brought forward; whether that’s proposed legislation or just a conversation, that has yet to be seen.

Idaho’s 2026 legislative session is scheduled to wrap up in early April.

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