Extension ExPress, February 2025

Director’s Message

Three large aquifers, which are afforded special protection to prevent contamination, provide the sole source of drinking water to many Idaho residences. The Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer supplies drinking water to 600,000 people in the greater Coeur d’Alene and Spokane region. The Lewiston Basin Aquifer is the only drinking water source for residents of Clarkston, Washington, and the greater Lewiston area. The Eastern Idaho Snake Plain Aquifer covers 10,800 square miles, with culinary and irrigation well withdrawals averaging 2,670 cubic feet per second (cfs), plus another 7,800 cfs of groundwater discharging from springs into two sections of the Snake River. These sole-source aquifers – massive reservoirs of groundwater flowing through porous glacial outwash or basalt – were highlighted in a recent, peer-reviewed educational video, “Protecting the Source: How Aquifers Work,” by Jim Ekins, a University of Idaho Extension water educator serving north Idaho. Ekins also recently published a video on the importance of protecting and regularly testing wells, called “Protecting the Source: Protecting Drinking Water Wells.” Ekins’ videos are among the many examples of how UI Extension is taking a comprehensive approach toward ensuring Idaho’s water security – offering education, research and outreach germane to the many competing demands for the precious resource. We’ve identified water as a Priority Extension Theme (PET). Our water PET team, co-chaired by Ekins and Extension agricultural economist Patrick Hatzenbuehler, meets three times per year to discuss pressing water issues and coordinate group projects. The PET team produced a video highlighting members’ creative contributions. “We have to take a holistic view of water, and we can’t expect any one person to know everything about water. Water is incredibly complex,” Ekins said. “There is so much to water that you need a team of people, and Extension has that team.”

Benefiting the public, Ekins and Christa Howarth, who was hired last March as a new Extension water educator based in Boise, run programs teaching residents how to be good stewards of water. They facilitate the IDAH2O Master Water Stewards program, which trains volunteer, citizen scientists who collect basic water quality data for Idaho streams. They also teach Water Education Today curriculum (Project WET) and develop programming for Idaho teachers and non-formal educators, such as state park rangers. Howarth is preparing to start a Treasure Valley version of The Confluence Project, which is a northern Idaho program that has high school students study water quality and quantity in the field with experts. Ekins offers a stream-restoration workshop for landowners who have degraded streams running through their properties. Furthermore, Ekins and Marcie Galbreath, with NextGen Learning Institute, co-wrote 4-H Youth Development curriculum about aquatic wildlife habitat, and they’re developing online training to enable 4-H leaders to teach the curriculum.

Water is also a recurring theme of our crop and livestock research. Extension educator Jared Gibbons, Madison County, has used drones fitted with near-infrared cameras to study water-use efficiency of different varieties planted in our barley and wheat research plots. Extension educator Brad Stokes, Canyon County, is taking the lead in writing an Extension bulletin on the threat invasive quagga muscles pose to the Snake River. In addition to harming native aquatic plants and animals, these invasive muscles can block irrigation pipes and diversions, posing a nightmare for irrigators. Our livestock team offered ranchers solutions to help them cope with drought in a series of eight YouTube videos posted a few years ago.

To some degree, most of our initiatives involve protecting and using the state’s precious water resources as efficiently as possible. Water conservation and water delivery are core tenets of both the Innovative Agriculture and Marketing Partnership (IAMP), which is a $59 million program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to study climate-smart agricultural production practices, and of the soil health demonstration farm, which is part of the Idaho Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (Idaho CAFE). Idaho CAFE, based in Rupert, will include the nation’s largest research dairy, and the demonstration farm will facilitate studies on the relationship between application of dairy nutrients and soil health and water quality.

Recent hires and positions we’re in the process of filling should help us further elevate our research and outreach efforts regarding water. We’re interviewing top candidates for an irrigation specialist position, which has been a top priority of industry for several years. The position will educate growers, fieldmen and students on the design and function of sustainable, data-driven irrigation and water management systems and practices. In July, the U of I-administered Idaho Water Resources Research Institute (IWRRI), based in Boise, hired Kendra Kaiser as its new director. Kaiser, who has a faculty appointment as an Extension specialist in the Department of Soil and Water Systems, leads IWRRI in conducting and coordinating water research efforts involving experts from several entities. Meetpal Kukal, a new water modeler within the Department of Soil and Water Systems who also works from Boise, joined the faculty in August and brings expertise in agricultural evapotranspiration measurement techniques.

Recognizing that without an adequate supply of clean water we can’t grow crops and communities can’t survive, President Scott Green has set a goal of establishing U of I as a true “University of Water.” We’re rising to the challenge as a university, and Extension has the reach, expertise and depth of knowledge to lead the way.

Barbara Petty
Associate Dean and Director
University of Idaho Extension

Extension Impact

New Forester

Ryer Becker has delivered Idaho’s logging industry a way to attract and train new workers without the risk of injury or the need to cut actual timber.

In October, Becker filled a new position at the University of Idaho thanks to investment from the state Legislature during the last session — assistant research professor and Extension specialist of forest operations and production manufacturing. He serves both with the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) through Extension, supporting workforce development through workshops and continuing-education programs, and the College of Natural Resources (CNR), researching new and emerging technologies and production efficiencies.

Becker earned a master’s degree in natural resources from U of I in December 2017 and finished his doctorate in natural resources from U of I in 2022. He then brought in USDA grant funding to create a postdoctoral researcher position to address unmet needs within the industry.

As a postdoctoral researcher, Becker secured a three-year, $700,000 grant through the Idaho Workforce Development Council to conduct outreach and training for the next generation of foresters through the summer of 2026. The grant has covered the purchase of four logging equipment simulators, each housed in a 28-foot custom trailer with a generator.

“It’s kind of like a large video game,” Becker said. “It provides foundational training to operators without risk and the cost of real equipment or personnel.”

The simulators mimic four different pieces of equipment: harvesters, which cut trees and strip limbs from logs; forwarders, which move processed logs to a landing area where they can be loaded onto trucks; feller bunchers, which cut and pile unprocessed trees for a skidder to haul; and processors, which delimb and process trees into logs that are cut by a feller buncher. In early 2025, two of the simulators are expected to add rubber-tired skidder simulation.

Throughout the past nine months, Becker and his team have brought the trailers to events across the state, demonstrating the job opportunities in forestry at schools, county fairs, career fairs and industry events such as the Society of American Foresters National Convention in Loveland, Colorado, and the Intermountain Logging Conference and Equipment Show in Spokane Valley, Washington. More than 1,000 people have experienced modern logging through the simulators thus far.

“Most of our logging industry is heavily mechanized,” Becker said. “A lot of the effort with these trailers is to help change perceptions and perspectives about what the logging industry is all about and what opportunities are available.”

Also as part of the grant, Becker and his Extension colleagues have been preparing curriculum for a series of short courses on forestry workforce development, which they’ll soon offer at locations throughout northern Idaho.

Becker was raised in New York, where he earned an associate’s degree in forest technology and a bachelor’s degree in forest operations and ecological forest management from Paul Smith’s College. Becker credits his late grandfather, Carmon, with instilling his passion for nature and forest ecosystems. Carmon was raised on a farm and worked as caretaker of a nature center run by the Audubon Society.

Becker chose U of I as his graduate school because he originally intended to pursue research in wildland fire, and U of I has a strong fire ecology and management program. He moved to Moscow to begin working on his master’s degree in the fall of 2014, working under Robert Keefe, an associate professor of forest operations, as his advisor. Becker planned to spend just two years in Idaho but became enamored with research and opted to continue as a doctoral student under Keefe.

“I found out really quickly I really love the academic side of forestry and operations and wanted to teach at the collegiate level and make a career of it,” Becker said.

For his doctoral dissertation, he conducted a study into the feasibility of using accelerometers and gyroscopes of cell phones to monitor activities of forestry machinery. While manufacturers use their own proprietary software, Becker’s app monitors the movements of equipment to characterize what machines do throughout the day. The app’s intent is to help users keep on schedule and identify inefficiencies in their processes. Becker is eager to contribute more broadly to the logging industry’s successes throughout the state in his new role.

“I’m excited for this role in CALS and working in this joint position. Extension is a space that’s always been near and dear to my heart,” Becker said. “Now to be an official Extension employee is exciting — something I’m looking forward to stepping into more and supporting the state, our stakeholders, the mission of CALS and what we do through cooperative Extension.”

4-H School Credits

A unique University of Idaho Extension 4-H Youth Development program that enables seventh- through 12th-graders to earn school credits for out-of-school learning is hiring staff and aims to welcome its first statewide student cohort in March.

Learn Everywhere With 4-H, offered in partnership with Idaho school districts, is funded with a three-year, $761,000 grant from the Idaho Workforce Development Council, running through June 2027.

Program credits are currently offered to students who complete 4-H curriculum in animal science and a civic education program called 4-H Know Your Government. Participation in the Know Your Government Conference, hosted each February in Boise, is encouraged but not a requirement for receiving credit.

“There’s definite interest from schools and families for sure,” said Claire Sponseller, an area Extension educator specializing in 4-H, who oversees Learn Everywhere With 4-H. “It’s pretty spectacular, and no other 4-H program has this opportunity available to them.”

The program was offered in a few Idaho counties on a pilot basis last fall. A small group of students enrolled, and a single student from Shelley met all the requirements and earned a high school credit. Sponseller is finalizing interviews for three fulltime positions — including a statewide program specialist and two regional program coordinators — as well as a parttime financial specialist.

“We’ve got a ton of interest in these positions,” Sponseller said. “I’m optimistic we’re going to have a fantastic team, and this is just going to take off.”

Participants who are already enrolled in 4-H are assessed a fee of $125 per credit. Students who are new to 4-H must pay $140 per credit, which also covers the state 4-H fee. UI Extension and local school districts are working to identify options to assist families for whom the fee would pose a barrier to participation.

Sponseller believes the program will open new learning options for children who are homeschooled, while also encompassing areas of interest not covered by public schools. She emphasized the program will not compete in any way with FFA.

“I think we are definitely going to be opening ourselves up to new audiences,” Sponseller said. "We want to support the communities and the kids, and this program is just one more player at the table to help do that.”

Content will be taught by 4-H mentors and volunteers to students who will work in groups with their 4-H clubs. An online component is also being developed to lend the program consistency. Projects will emphasize record keeping, interviewing, evaluation and presentation skills. Students will have great flexibility in choosing their Learn Everywhere with 4-H projects. For example, they may opt to receive credit for completing a traditional 4-H animal project — involving caring for an animal, learning related science and showing it at a county fair — or they may opt to work with animals while volunteering with a local Humane Society. Individual school districts will have the autonomy to determine if the program will be offered for an elective or core credit and how it will be listed on a student’s transcript.

Sponseller’s goal is to continue offering and growing the program long after the grant has expired.

“We’re hoping this grant is the steppingstone toward building a sustainable program,” Sponseller said.

Those who wish to be notified promptly when enrollment opens are encouraged to complete a course inquiry.

Improving Poverty Awareness

Southwest District Health (SWDH) has afforded greater flexibility to clients who arrive late to appointments ever since staff completed a poverty competency training program facilitated by University of Idaho Extension.

The health district has also placed greater emphasis on helping clients navigate the application process to pay for services on a sliding scale based on income.

The recent changes at SWDH are among the many examples of how UI Extension’s poverty competency training program is eliminating barriers for Idahoans experiencing poverty while opening service providers’ eyes to the importance of assisting the population with empathy and flexibility.

“We recommend this training. It’s a powerful reminder of the humanity of every person we serve and challenges us to view our systems and policies through the lens of someone experiencing poverty,” said SWDH Clinic Manager Rick Stimpson. “The greatest realization was understanding how deeply poverty affects every aspect of a person’s life, including decision-making, time management and the ability to meet expectations, like being on time for clinic appointments.”

UI Extension’s poverty training program was funded with a $100,000 Extension Collaborative on Immunization Teaching and Engagement (EXCITE) grant, which spanned from August 2023 through last November. An interagency agreement between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture created EXCITE, which is managed through the Extension Foundation, to address health disparities among rural and other underserved communities. UI Extension’s EXCITE team leaders — Joey Peutz, Extension educator, Payette County; Lindsey McConnell-Soong, EXCITE program manager, and Tasha Howard, Extension educator, Canyon County — were trained as certified poverty coaches by Communication Across Barriers, a consulting firm devoted to breaking the cycle of poverty in America.

McConnell-Soong, Howard and Peutz have worked closely with SWDH and the South Central Public Health District, where they’ve trained 132 staff members to adapt poverty-informed outreach strategies for improving vaccination rates. Lack of transportation, lack of healthcare access, poor access to healthy food and other barriers can make it difficult for people experiencing poverty to lead a healthy lifestyle.

The initial training provided to the two health districts spurred a wave of interest among other Idaho entities that work with people experiencing poverty and recognized the value in better serving the population. Using internal Extension dollars to continue and grow the program, 11 additional Extension professionals from throughout the state have been trained as poverty coaches. The coaches started a Poverty Competency Task Force, which meets monthly, and they’ve helped deliver poverty competency training to more than 300 people from other organizations that work with people experiencing poverty, such as St. Luke’s Health System, Serve Idaho, Southeastern Idaho Public Health and the Western Idaho Community Health Collaborative, Extension programs such as 4-H Youth Development’s AmeriCorps team, Eat Smart Idaho and the Digital Economy Program have benefited from the expanded training workshops, which can range from one to eight hours in duration.

“We want everyone in Extension to have a good handle on how poverty impacts the work they do and how the work they do impacts poverty in our state,” McConnell-Soong said.

The Extension Foundation, a national organization that works to help Cooperative Extension programs make a greater impact on local communities, received additional funding to hire four regional positions for three years to continue offering statewide immunization education programs. U of I has applied to field one of those positions.

UI Extension’s first EXCITE program, funded with a one-year, $26,000 grant, entailed collaborating with health partners to address educational gaps pertaining to the COVID-19 vaccine. Concurrently, UI Extension received a two-year, $200,000 competitive grant through EXCITE to offer mobile adult immunization clinics at workplaces, with Extension professionals meeting with workers before, during and after clinics to provide education about immunizations.

UI Extension is currently working on a fourth EXCITE project, funded with a $125,000 grant that runs through the end of August, to develop a new workshop specifically focused on poverty competency training for immunization outreach.

The EXCITE projects are included in a new, professionally produced video highlighting UI Extension’s many contributions to improving the health of Idahoans.

“Extension is about health. Whether you’re talking about forestry or crop production or immunization education, there are connections with the health of Idahoans,” McConnell-Soong said.

Troublesome Weed Spreading

A herbicide-resistant pigweed first confirmed in the state less than three years ago has already infested more than 7,000 acres of southern Idaho cropland and is taking a heavy toll on yields, a University of Idaho Extension weed scientist warns.

In 2022, Albert Adjesiwor, who is based at the U of I Kimberly Research and Extension Center, began showing potted Palmer amaranth plants to area growers and agronomists. He taught them to identify the pigweed by its smooth stems, egg-shaped leaves and elongated petioles, knowing it was already widespread in many surrounding states and convinced it would soon surface in Idaho.

That same season, Adjesiwor’s fears were confirmed when he received a report from a Glenns Ferry farmer about a pigweed that seemed to be immune to glyphosate herbicide. By 2023, Adjesiwor and his colleagues estimated 3,000 acres of southern Idaho cropland were infested with Palmer amaranth. Based on extensive scouting, Adjesiwor estimated the infested acreage had more than doubled as of 2024, stretching from Paul to Parma.

“It was clear that everywhere we had it in 2023, we had it in 2024,” Adjesiwor said. “The farmers use the same equipment to harvest and till, and they move it around in their fields. The seeds are very small, and it doesn’t take much to have a problem on your hands.”

Palmer amaranth can grow upwards of 10 feet tall, towering over crop canopies. Last August, a Glenns Ferry farmer allowed Clarke Alder with Amalgamated Sugar Co., Adjesiwor, and Oregon State University (OSU) weed scientist Joe Felix to test dig at 17 locations in a sugarbeet field with varying levels of Palmer amaranth infestation. The researchers confirmed yield losses of up to 47% due to the weed.

In 2023, Palmer amaranth also began cropping up in Washington and Oregon fields. U of I, OSU and Washington State University are now collaborating on a project funded with $27,000 from the Northwest Potato Research Consortium to scout the three states for Palmer amaranth and post the counties where weeds are found on the Pacific Northwest Herbicide Resistance Initiative website.

The grant funding has also helped the researchers collect weed seeds and grow them out in a greenhouse to conduct herbicide-resistance testing. One group of Palmer amaranth plants was able to withstand applications of 16 times the usual dosage of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup herbicide. Testing also confirmed at least 70% resistance to Group 2 herbicides, which are commonly used in potato, dry bean and small grains production, as well as resistance to Group 4 and Group 27 herbicides.

Palmer amaranth is native to the desert Southwest and likely entered Idaho in birdfeed, cottonseed meal fed to cattle or on farm equipment brought in from other states. Idaho hosted a public meeting last summer on the possibility of listing Palmer amaranth as a noxious weed, but the petition failed, based largely on concerns about the added cost of management and testing certified crop seed for the presence of weed seed.

The weed is especially problematic for farmers who raise sugarbeets, alfalfa or corn varieties that are developed to withstand applications of Roundup. Some fields in the Bruneau area, where farmers planted Roundup Ready corn following Roundup Ready sugarbeets, were especially hard hit by Palmer amaranth. Palmer amaranth can also be a nightmare for potato farmers, as there are few good herbicide options available for use after the weed emerges.

Adjesiwor’s advice to growers who find Palmer amaranth in their fields is to report it and, if possible, rotate to small grains during the following growing season.

“Small grains are often established before Palmer amaranth starts to emerge and there are a lot more management tools. Most herbicides labeled for small grains will kill Palmer amaranth,” Adjesiwor said.

In many cereal fields, Adjesiwor discovered Palmer amaranth regrowing following harvest. Growers may opt to till their weeds or apply additional herbicides following harvest. Also during 2022, Adjesiwor discovered Idaho’s first water hemp – another pigweed that’s developed resistance to glyphosate and other important herbicides. Water hemp, which was also found in the state’s southern growing region, has not proliferated as quickly as Palmer amaranth.

Looking ahead, Adjesiwor has submitted a grant to evaluate post-emergence options for controlling Palmer amaranth in potatoes. He also plans to conduct additional herbicide-resistance screening during the upcoming growing season using funding from a USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant that UI Extension entomologist Erik Wenninger received for integrated pest management.

“I’m concerned by the number of herbicides Palmer amaranth is resistant to and how fast it can develop resistance,” Adjesiwor said. “If you have Palmer amaranth, you still have to deal with other weed problems. This is an additional thing farmers have to spend money to control, and the yield loss potential is very high compared with most of the weed species we have.”

Faculty Spotlight

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