Sean Ellis

The Idaho Farm Bureau Federation is celebrating the 15th anniversary of the state’s first federal wine designation.  In April of 2007, the Snake River Idaho AVA became the state’s first AVA, and now 70 wineries that call the state home in 2022.  Idaho wineries...

The news sounds good for American farmers at first glance, but a deeper dive reveals many challenges in farm country. Recent USDA figures show farmers are receiving more for their commodities. Sean Ellis with the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation said the non-farming community may think producers are getting rich off the increase, but he said that couldn’t be further from the truth. He ... Read Mor

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Idaho tied an export record in 2021 at $1.02 billion. That figure was up 9% year-over-year, and tied 2014, which was a very impress year for American Ag exports. Sean Ellis with the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation said that figure only takes into account products that leave Idaho, so for example, wheat that’s barged down the Snake River to Portland is not includ

2020 was a record year for Idaho farmers when it comes to net farm income. Idaho Farm Bureau Federation’s Sean Ellis said the numbers wouldn't normally indicate a record year, as total expenses went up considerably last year while total farm gate revenue stayed the same. “ ...

The Idaho Farm Bureau Federation is making it known that it strongly opposes Idaho Representative Mike Simpson's proposal to remove the four lower Snake River dams. Simpson's plan would create a $33 billion "Columbia Basin Fund" in an effort to transition economies and sectors negatively impacted by breaching the dams ...

It may be a slow process, but one that has many in the farming community concerned; the loss of farmland due to urban sprawl. According to the American Farmland Trust, between 2001-2016 eleven million acres of farmland was removed from production nationwide ...

Despite the pandemic, the disruption to supply chains, struggles with trade as well as everything else 2020 threw at the American farmer, the past year was a fairy good one for Idaho farmers. Sean Ellis with the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation said while the situation looked dire for potatoes and milk early on, both commodities bounced back nicely, and reported average, and in some cases above avera

Photo: Idaho Farm Bureau Earlier this month, the USDA released 2019 farm income numbers, which showed Idaho tops in a variety of categories. Sean Ellis with the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation pointed out the Gem State is tops out of the 11 western states when it came to per capita Farm Cash Receipts in 2019 ...

Rural America is being reminded the importance of participating in the 2020 Census. Done every ten years to chart the growth and evolution of America’s population, the Census is used to determine representation in a variety of ways. Sea ...