Idaho Falls, Idaho - It wasn’t potato harvest or a farmer’s expo, but around 80 tractors paraded down Lindsay Boulevard in a show of force Tuesday morning on their way to listen Gov. Brad Little’s speech to the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber.
Lining the entire west bank of the Idaho Falls Riverwalk, farmers from 45 farms in eastern Idaho had a strong message for the governor regarding water rights and the recent water curtailment order that affected more than a half million acres in eastern Idaho.
“We’re extremely concerned about the current negotiations with the Idaho Department of Water for the water curtailments that happened in east Idaho on May 30,” said Eagle Eye Produce Chief Operating Officer Derek Davis. “We, honestly, we believe that Idaho has a management problem. It’s not a water issue. So we want to make sure that water is managed across the state better than it’s ever been, and that includes, you know, additional infrastructure. We’d like to have some other solutions versus shutting down farmland in eastern Idaho.”
To read the rest of the story and see several videos of the tractors, of the Governor’s comments and other interviews, go here: https://www.eastidahonews.com/2024/07/dozens-of-farmers-others-show-up-at-greater-idaho-falls-chamber-meeting-as-gov-little-discusses-water-curtailment/