Protecting Farmland & Family Values in Idaho

(above) beautiful backdrop of the Teton Mountains from the Jardine's family farm  (NRCS photo -- click to enlarge) farmland enrolled in CRP is essential for elk, deer, grouse and other types of wildlife (NRCS photo -- click to enlarge)

NRCS is helping protect family farming in Idaho.  Partnering with the Teton Regional Land Trust and NRCS, fourth generation farmers Garry and MaeDean Jardine have placed a perpetual conservation easement on 639 acres of their farmland in the Teton Valley to forever protect it from development.

“Everywhere we looked, we saw houses going up,” Garry Jardine said.  “We knew we didn’t want to do that to our family’s land, but farming for four generations hasn’t made us millionaires.  We wanted to keep farming and we wanted to protect our property.”

The Jardines actively farm about 135 acres of alfalfa and barley and keep the rest of their property in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).  Most of the property contains soils of statewide importance for agriculture, which coupled with the Jardines’ recent investment in irrigation equipment, makes this farm an important contributor to the local agricultural economy.

The Jardine Farm is one of the few remaining areas in Teton Valley to provide winter and transitional range for elk.  Because of nearby protected lands, this parcel is an important link in the migration corridor for elk, mule deer, and moose leaving the Big Hole Mountains for winter range at lower elevations.  The property also hosts two breeding areas for the Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, a species of concern in Idaho.

The family is hoping to protect an additional 390 acres.  As with this easement, the Teton Regional Land Trust plans to use the NRCS Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program again.
Your contact is Bob Bartholomew, NRCS resource conservationist, at 208-378-5703.