Will Ricks

When looking back on the 2021 growing season, the heat and drought conditions made the year challenging for most commodities, and Idaho hay was no exception. Will Ricks, President of the Idaho Hay and Forage Association says the one-two punch of drought conditions and record heat was difficult on dryland hay growers ...

The drought across the Northwest has been brewing for some time, with much of the region not seeing a large precipitation event since March. And with soil moisture levels so low to start July, it could be a long summer for many growers, such as Idaho hay producers ...

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the farming community varies location to location and commodity to commodity. One Northwest commodity that didn’t report as many problems because of the pandemic was the hay industry in Idaho. Will Ricks, President of the Idaho Hay and Forage Association, said while many struggled with a dip in exports last year, growers across the Gem State did not see tha