Idaho Farming at 6,000 Feet

By Pamela Smith

Dan Lakey's favorite phrase to disprove is "that'll never work here." From the conservation practices he's adopted to the crops being grown, the southeastern Idaho farmer has made it his business to buck convention.

Since leaving the business world to come back to the home farm in 2009, he's made soil science a focus. No-till and crop diversity aren't necessarily new practices in some parts of the world, but they are in this farming region. These days he leans heavily on any practice that will help conserve water and put more carbon into the soil.

"Somehow, whatever the farming practice is, it usually (but not always) works," said Lakey, who hails from Soda Springs. "It's all about being a little better today than I was yesterday. I love a good challenge."

Many farmers would consider growing no fewer than a dozen crops at 6,000 feet elevation to be challenging enough. Snowflakes were still falling as he was attempting to drill spring wheat this week. Winter can come as early as late September in this region where crops are grown with a scant average of 15 inches of annual rainfall.

Readers will be able to follow along to learn more about this unique farming area and Lakey Farms this season through DTN's View From the Cab feature. This year celebrates 20 years of exploring farming through a diary-like series that appears weekly through the growing season.

Also participating in 2024 will be Quint Pottinger, New Haven, Kentucky. Read more about his farming enterprises here: https://www.dtnpf.com/…

Next week both farmers will drill down on planting progress. Read on to learn more about Lakey's operation.

DAN LAKEY: SODA SPRINGS, IDAHO

Dan Lakey will tell you he's the third-generation farmer. Truth is, he's not sure how far back his farming roots extend. The family immigrated from Scotland to North Carolina in the mid-1800s. The Homestead Act of 1862 urged his great-grandfather westward to this southwestern corner of Idaho where land was free for the taking if you farmed it.