ADVOCACY
Photo courtesy of Ryan Milrad
FARM AND AGRICULTURE POLICY
FARE Idaho supports policy initiatives that reduce the regulatory burden with the goal of strengthening our food resiliency.
Idaho
Protecting Idaho’s farmland is an essential part of our organizational goals.
Agricultural Protection Area Legislation
No Grapes, No Wine. No Barley, No Beer. No Potatoes, No Fries. No Dairy Cows, No Ice Cream. No Farms, No Food.
FARE Idaho's board unanimously opposes House Bill 653. If you oppose, please call or write your representatives immediately. This page has an easy search option to find the contact information for your representative at the bottom of the page titled "Who's my legislator?"
"The updated bill would still provide sweeping immunity to pesticide manufacturers, so long as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved their product for use. The bill is being promoted by Bayer, the German pharmaceutical company with large phosphate mines in Southeast Idaho, and is similar to bills being advanced in Iowa, Missouri, and Florida." - Idaho Conservation League
Federal Policy
Farm Bill Reautherization 2024: FARE Idaho supports more resources for regenerative agriculture. Scaling up support for regenerative agriculture includes bolstering incentives for crop diversity, sustainable ranching, biodiversity, water conservation, and alternative animal feed strategies.
COWS Act: FARE supports the Converting Our Waste Sustainably (COWS) Act. The bill was introduced on June 23 and would establish a new federal manure management conservation program that reduces methane emissions on dairies while improving the economic viability of small and medium-sized dairies and providing an alternative to anaerobic digesters.
Build Bridges We continue to reach out to other organizations and as a collective to facilitate productive meeting spaces to achieve our common goals. It's time we all meet in the radical food center to create positive change in the industry. We do better together!
LICENSED BEVERAGE POLICY
For the past 3 years, FARE Idaho has traveled around Idaho to listen and learn about your concerns as it relates to licensed beverages. Our board holds the following position:
Title 23 should evolve to solve problems for our members, but those changes should avoid creating new problems. The loss of transferability will make it harder to get liquor licenses going forward.
Holding a liquor license changes how a business is built. Capital investments related to that liquor license change the overall value of our businesses. Any legislative change that impacts our liquor license markets will have an impact on business valuations well beyond the market value of a license. Because of this, we support change that protects existing markets, we oppose any change that would alter or shock markets.
We seek solutions that make it easier for our members to obtain a liquor license including; bringing back transferability, bringing back the historic business license which would slowly add more inventory, and allowing property owners to provide liquor licenses to tenants.
FARE Idaho also supports legislation to allow multiple licensed beverage retailers to share a common outdoor area.
