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 (elk, deer)
- 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. See Establishing a Farmers Market in Idaho
- specialty foods programs: Starting a Specialty Food Business in Idaho
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 programs:
- Plant Pathology Laboratory
- Market Development: Domestic and international marketing assistance
- Organic Certification: Crops, livestock and handlers/processors
- Financial Resources: for agricultural businesses
Bureau of Weights and Measures: Oversees the following:
- inspection and certification of weighing and metering devices, including scales and fuel pumps
- inspection of packaged products to ensure net contents meet labeled weight, volume or count
- monitors the octane labeling of fuel products
Businesses and individuals who repair or maintain weighing and metering devices are licensed by the Bureau.
Idaho and U.S. Departments 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.
Farm Labor Contractors – 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:
- opens in a new windowMining and minerals exploration
- opens in a new windowRock hounding, gemstone hunting, recreational gold mining, dredging and panning
- Burn permits
- Range land opens in a new windowfire protection
- Oil and Gas Conservation Commission – exploration and development
- Grazing, leased farming, conservation leases
- opens in a new windowTimber sales and logging; forest practices
- opens in a new windowCommercial leasing for wind energy turbines, geothermal production, solar panels, military and commercial communications sites, commercial recreation, industrial facilities
- opens in a new windowForest management, including firewood cutting
- opens in a new windowForestry and fire grants – available to state and local agencies, tribes, non-profits and educational institutions
- opens in a new windowNavigable water issues, lake protection and opens in a new windowriverbed management
- opens in a new windowCottage site leasing