Official Government Website
- Idaho Department of Labor Agricultural Services
- Internal Revenue Service – Agriculture Tax Center
- Internal Revenue Service – Foreign Agricultural Workers
- U.S. Department of Labor Farm Labor Contractor Registration
Idaho Department of Agriculture
The Department of Agriculture oversees Idaho’s agricultural and livestock industries and ag-related businesses, including:
- farming, ranching
- livestock operations, including bison and cervidae
- egg distributors
- nurseries (plants) and florists
- commodity dealers, seed buyers, produce warehouses/storage facilities
- dairies
- feed lots/large scale animal containment – cattle, swine, poultry (CAFO)
- livestock auctions and sales
- fish farms (aquaculture)
- commercial bee keepers
- pesticide applicators
- organic farming and produce
- organic fertilizer manufacturers
- farmer’s markets, fruit stands and other seasonal food-related activities
The Department also manages programs to control noxious weeds and invasive insects and monitors Idaho’s Agricultural Water Quality Program, as well as the following:
- Plant Pathology Laboratory
- Market Development: Domestic and international marketing assistance
- Organic Certification: Crops, livestock and handlers/processors
- Financial Resources: for agricultural businesses
- Specialty Foods: Starting a Specialty Food Business in Idaho
Weights and Measures: The Bureau of Weights and Measures inspects and certifies weighing and metering devices, including scales and fuel pumps, and inspects packaged products to ensure net contents meet labeled weight, volume or count. They also monitor the octane labeling of fuel products. Businesses and individuals who repair or maintain weighing and metering devices are licensed by the Bureau.
Idaho Department of Labor
Agricultural Workers – Employers of temporary foreign agricultural workers must be certified through the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Program to bring workers into the U.S. The Department of Labor also licenses Farm Labor Contractors who represent domestic migrant and seasonal farm laborers. See Idaho Department of Labor Farmworker Services for details.
Idaho Department of Lands
Manages state lands and activities occurring on them, including:
- Mining and minerals exploration
- Rock hounding, gemstone hunting, recreational gold mining, dredging and panning
- Firewood cutting permits
- Burn permits
- Range land fire protection
- Oil and Gas Conservation Commission – exploration and development
- Grazing, leased farming, conservation leases
- Timber sales and logging
- Commercial leasing for wind energy turbines, geothermal production, solar panels, military and commercial communications sites, commercial recreation, industrial facilities
- Forest management, including firewood cutting
- Forestry and fire grants – available to state and local agencies, tribes, non-profits and educational institutions
- Navigable water issues, lake protection and riverbed management
- Cottage site leasing