BOISE — A strong contingent of farm families and young producers will position agriculture for continued success as the state grows, speakers told the Idaho Farm Bureau member here.

“We are in good hands as we go into the future,” board president Bryan Searle said Dec. 5, referring the the group’s longstanding program for developing young farmers and ranchers.

“Change is inevitable, but families in this room demonstrate what adaptation to change looks like and is all about,” said Gov. Brad Little, a Republican rancher from Emmett.

A key aspect of his approach to economic sustainability and growth since he took office in 2019 has been “having our kids choose to stay here because of the opportunities that are here,” he said. “We want them to be in agriculture and rural communities.”

The economic viability of farms and ranches is impacted in part by state spending, tax policy and regulation. Little and the legislature in recent years have worked to reduce and simplify administrative rules, cut income and property taxes, and improve transportation and water infrastructure.

Excessive regulation can mean a young person “doesn’t know where to look” when starting a business, the governor said. Reducing and streamlining regulation benefits small businesses, which “have less friction to move ahead” as a result.

As for spending, a goal for Little and the legislature has been to direct state budget surpluses and federal one-time COVID-19 relief to where that money can have the most impact in the long term, Little said.

The governor and legislature this year established a grant program for postsecondary education and training focused on in-demand careers. The enrollment period for Idaho Launch began in October.

“I’m optimistic about it,” Little said.

Idaho Launch aims to help employers across the state fill jobs from truck drivers and welders to utility line technicians and vehicle and equipment mechanics, he said. The program also figures to increase the rate at which high school graduates pursue postsecondary education, now 38%.

State leaders will continue to work to make sure they lead in managing water resources, in contrast to several neighboring states where federal management is playing a key role, Little said.

Idaho and members of its communities also are vital in wildfire management, which impacts land and the interconnected power grid, he said.

Idaho Farm Bureau in the past several years emphasized working with a broad range of agriculture groups, Searle said.

Working together is increasingly important as the state grows and changes, even if views vary somewhat among groups or regions, he said.

“Farm Bureau cannot be an island,” Searle said. Agriculture organizations benefit when they work together, “and we have worked on that.”

Board members and executives carry out policies first developed and fine-tuned at the county chapter level, executive vice president and CEO Zak Miller said. The grassroots structure in part reflects that “each one of you does something a little bit different than your neighbor … Each of us has a strength.”

One benefit is the “harvest” of young farmers and ranchers who promote agriculture and educate people about it, he said.