Challenges for Idaho Farmers
Podcast with Representative Jerald Raymond
The agricultural industry has been a cornerstone of our state's economy for generations. However, as Idaho grapples with the challenges of a growing population and shifting values, the future of agriculture in the state hangs in the balance.
In this week’s NEW Main Street Idaho podcast, Representative Jerald Raymond explores the hurdles the ag industry faces, and the pivotal role that public lands and conservation efforts play in ensuring the industry's sustainability.
The agricultural sector not only provides employment opportunities for thousands of Idahoans but also contributes significantly to the state's revenue. As urbanization encroaches on rural areas, preserving the identity and traditional practices of agriculture becomes increasingly challenging. A significant challenge that the industry faces is the shortage of skilled labor. To ensure the sustainability of agriculture, there's a pressing need for education and career technical training programs that prepare young people for careers in farming and ranching.
Public lands in Idaho are a valuable resource for both agriculture and recreation. The multiple uses of these lands, from grazing to outdoor activities, necessitate a delicate balance to ensure sustainability. Farmers and ranchers depend on access to public lands for grazing, while outdoor enthusiasts seek recreational opportunities. Striking the right balance is crucial to maintaining the health of these lands and the industries that rely on them.
Addressing the challenges facing agriculture in Idaho requires a collaborative effort. Farmers, policymakers, and the community must work together to find innovative solutions to labor shortages, land use conflicts, and environmental threats. By fostering strong partnerships, Idaho can pave the way for a sustainable and resilient agricultural future.
The preservation of agriculture in Idaho is not just about safeguarding an industry; it's about securing the state's heritage for future generations.
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The agricultural industry has been a cornerstone of our state's economy for generations. However, as Idaho grapples with the challenges of a growing population and shifting values, the future of agriculture in the state hangs in the balance.
In this week’s NEW Main Street Idaho podcast, Representative Jerald Raymond explores the hurdles the ag industry faces, and the pivotal role that public lands and conservation efforts play in ensuring the industry's sustainability.
The agricultural sector not only provides employment opportunities for thousands of Idahoans but also contributes significantly to the state's revenue. As urbanization encroaches on rural areas, preserving the identity and traditional practices of agriculture becomes increasingly challenging.
A significant challenge that the industry faces is the shortage of skilled labor. To ensure the sustainability of agriculture, there's a pressing need for education and career technical training programs that prepare young people for careers in farming and ranching.
Public lands in Idaho are a valuable resource for both agriculture and recreation. The multiple uses of these lands, from grazing to outdoor activities, necessitate a delicate balance to ensure sustainability. Farmers and ranchers depend on access to public lands for grazing, while outdoor enthusiasts seek recreational opportunities. Striking the right balance is crucial to maintaining the health of these lands and the industries that rely on them.
Farmers, policymakers, and the community must work together to find innovative solutions to labor shortages, land use conflicts, and environmental threats. By fostering strong partnerships, Idaho can pave the way for a sustainable and resilient agricultural future.
The preservation of agriculture in Idaho is not just about safeguarding an industry; it's about securing the state's heritage for future generations.
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Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Welcome to Main Street Idaho podcast, an opportunity to talk to Idaho's elected leaders about the issues that matter to you. Welcome. Welcome. We're here with Representative Jerald Raymond out of district 31, which is a big district.
Representative Jerald Raymond:
It is a big district.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
It's Tell us what counties that covers.
Representative Jerald Raymond:
So we represent Clark Fremont, Jefferson, and Lemhi Counties.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Fantastic.
Representative Jerald Raymond:
In Eastern Idaho.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
So you didn't have too big [00:00:30] of a commute over here today?
Representative Jerald Raymond:
No, no. This was nice.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
It's not like driving to Boise. No, it's
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Not. It's not.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
But we appreciate being here. It's a
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Great district. I just want to tell you that. It is a great
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
District. Yeah. A lot of good people. There are My roots come out of that district. Oh, really?
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Yep. I didn't realize
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
That. So I want to start with the end here. We're going to go to, long after you and I are gone. You have 24 grandkids, correct? I do, I
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Do.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
I want you to think about the time when they're raising their grandkids, [00:01:00] their grandkids in Idaho. What concerns you the most about your grandkids future in Idaho?
Representative Jerald Raymond:
You know what my greatest concern is that Idaho will change. We have so many people coming into the state right now and good people. I'm not saying that they're not good people, but their ideas are different. Some of them are different than what we have experienced growing up. Having neighbors closer is different than [00:01:30] being spread out like we are now. So my major concern is that Idaho change.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Well then let's flip it and have a little more optimism here. What excites you most about the future of Idaho when you think about the world and the state that your grandkids will get to lead in?
Representative Jerald Raymond:
So what excite excites me the most is that maybe Idaho won't teach. Yeah. With the right leadership, we can keep Idaho, Idaho. I think that's very important. [00:02:00] We're kind of an island in some respects when you look at states around us, for example, at legalized illicit drugs. If we stay strong, we can keep Idaho, Idaho in many, many respects.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Right now, we have changed quite a bit. I want you to tell us a little bit about what it was like growing up in Manan in the sixties.
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Well, if you want to know the truth, it's probably a lot. Growing up in [00:02:30] 2023, really Manan hasn't changed a lot. I mean, there has been an influx of people moving in, but we still feel isolated, kind of like we're in a bubble in some respects. There's nothing like being raised in a rural community. It's such a good experience. And actually, I wasn't raised in Manan. I was raised outside of Manan in the country. And [00:03:00] so where I live today, our neighbors aren't, we're close as neighbors, but in proximity, we're not close. We still have neighbors that live right under our doorstep and that's nice. But
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
It's got to be small town us. It
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Is small town. Us
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Back then I picture Mayberry. I picture black and white. Walk us through a little bit for those that are from big cities who lock their cars, who don't just disappear at our home by dinner. And that's the rule. [00:03:30] What was it like in your home as a kid? Well,
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Just imagine being raised in a town where there's not a stoplight one gas station and a church. And when I was growing up, we had a couple of grocery stores. We don't have grocery stores in Menin now. We have a convenience store, but no grocery stores. It was interesting when I was young, when I was very young, we lived in Monan and then we moved out to [00:04:00] the farm and I would sneak out and hide in my dad's pickup so my mom wouldn't know. So I could go with dad. I was supposed to be at Cub Scouts or I was supposed to be somewhere else, and mom would have to come down to the farm and find me and we'd have to go through the rigamarole of getting back to where I needed to be, where I wanted to be. I always wanted to be on the farm, always wanted to be with my dad.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
It's in your blood.
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Yeah,
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Absolutely. Some melts that might be in your blood [00:04:30] politics, at least elect offs. Let's start from the beginning. Okay. Student body President Rigby high school class of 72, 73. 73. Yep.
Representative Jerald Raymond:
You're off a year.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Yep. Okay. I tried. So as student by president, what was your first election? Was it a hard fought campaign like your last few?
Representative Jerald Raymond:
No, it didn't seem, seem like it actually ran against a good friend of mine who's now the former sheriff of Ook [00:05:00] County. Oh really? Yeah. Wow. He ended up being our class president. That's not
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Paul Wild, is it? Is it really? Oh, we love, love former sheriff Wild. What a great guy.
Representative Jerald Raymond:
I do too. I do too. Well,
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
It's a good thing you defeated him and urged him into law enforcement.
Representative Jerald Raymond:
No, it was not a high stress election and I have no idea how close the election was. I'm sure it was fairly close because Paul's a good man.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Paul's a great man. Paul
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Is a really, really good man. And [00:05:30] that was a good experience. But when you ask about the beginning, the beginning actually was before that. Really? Yep. I was nominated to be a representative from the area for the National Explorers, president's Congress, and I traveled to Washington DC when I was 16.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
So Manan to DC must've been a big difference.
Representative Jerald Raymond:
It was unbelievable. It was an experience of a lifetime, to be really honest with you. My father had served an LDS [00:06:00] mission on the East coast in his younger years and had spent a lot of time in Virginia and Maryland and Washington DC and shared with me his love of that area, love of the history he spent every spare second he could on the Capitol Mall and in the museums and the memorials. And I knew about those places. And that experience sparked a love for me of those places and the history and the process. And I've been back [00:06:30] to Washington DC many times since.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Oh, that's great. Speaking of LDS missions, you were off in Norway serving your church the same time? My father was actually in Sweden. Oh my goodness. So the experiences that my father has told me about the difficulties of preaching Christianity in that part of the world at that time, I imagine it wasn't the easiest thing you've done.
Representative Jerald Raymond:
It was not.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
How does that shape you and prepare you for the leadership you hold now?
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Well, that's a very interesting question. [00:07:00] I love the people of Norway and I love the country. I love the land. It's one of the most beautiful countries in the world with some of the most beautiful people in the world. But quite honestly, those people were pretty, oh, I can think of the Norwegian word, but I can't think of it
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
In English. Give us the Norwegian
Representative Jerald Raymond:
For, they were comfortable. They were [00:07:30] kind of lulled into a false sense of security because the government took care of everything for them. It was a very socialistic form of government. They had no needs. They were just very comfortable. And I learned a lot about socialism while I was there and vowed that I would do everything I could when I got home to make sure that our country didn't fall into that same trap.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
What a formative age too, to have [00:08:00] an opportunity. You were. I
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Was 19. I was 19 and 20.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
And then you were seeing kind of the negative effects of suppressing capitalism and providing it all.
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Yeah.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
That's interesting. So eventually, I want to jump to your time as a county commissioner. What prompted you to decide to run for the county commission in Jefferson County?
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Well, going back to my, my family roots, my grandfather was very service oriented. [00:08:30] My father was very service oriented, my grandmothers my mother, very service oriented. And my wife and I both served in various capacities both in the community and then church. So both her family's very service oriented as well. So it's not a shock, I guess, that when an opportunity came to serve our community, [00:09:00] we took that opportunity and it actually began before the county commissioner thing. I actually served on the board of the Mosquito abatement district in Jeffers. Oh boy County. And then when an opportunity came to serve as a county commissioner, I just kind of took it. I saw it as an opportunity to surf, to get back to my community. Timing was good. There was other things in my life that other responsibilities I was relieved of that would've made it harder. [00:09:30] And when those opportunities, when the opportunity came, I just took up.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
What did you learn as a county commissioner in terms of representing those with different views? Because I'm sure it was regular that people would come to you and want something and some people would want the opposite, lower the taxes actually increase 'em. So we can do this. I'm sure across your desk was plenty of opportunities to have to take kind of a pick in the balance. So something you [00:10:00] do now as well. How do you manage these differing views that come to you?
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Well, that's a great question, Brennan. It's not easy. It's not easy. And you oftentimes have to find the middle ground. You have to find the ground, where's workable. It was a shock to me a little bit when the requests, [00:10:30] the opinions were so stark. They were so different. They were so different to one way or the other. I learned very quickly though that county government, local government is where the rubber really meets their route. That's where the decisions really affect the citizens of your community and of the state. And so making wise decisions was very important to the entire commission. Not just me, but the [00:11:00] entire commission.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
We talk a lot about how people have their political views for sure, but at the end of the day, we want roads we can drive on. We want to make sure the snow and the road are clear. And something that's really important is safety. As the county commissioner, what was your relationship like with law enforcement, the sheriff's office kind of associates reports through you to walk us through what public safety was like as a county commissioner?
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Well, I had the opportunity to be a commissioner [00:11:30] with two sheriffs. We had Sheriff Fulson, we had Sheriff Anderson subsequently. And both of them have and do continue to have the best interest of the citizens in their hearts and in their minds. And budgeting for public safety was a very high priority for the commission for all of us. The men and women who serve, serve us [00:12:00] are dedicated. They love what they do, and they have a hard job. They really do. It's very difficult to serve as a law enforcement or even public safety in general. Fire, EMS, all of those things. So we were very fortunate that we had adequate jail facility. And so it [00:12:30] was, I guess that made it easier. If we had to struggle with having to build or create a jail facility, it would've been harder. But it was easier.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Yeah. What was your relationship like with the other two commissioners?
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Very good. Very good in general. Yep.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
I asked because you seemed to work pretty well with others. When you've run all of your elections, you've run with your seed mates, you've run with Senator Burton Shaw [00:13:00] and Representative Furnace, which isn't common in Idaho for whole slates of people to run together because when you put your name and face on a flyer next to somebody, if Rod Rodder van says or does something silly, it'll affect you. Why don't we talk a little bit about them and maybe specifically let's start with Senator Burtenshaw. What is it about him that you look up to and that you've learned from?
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Well, that is a great question as well. You ask really good question. Thank
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
You. I don't have any answers. I just have questions.
Representative Jerald Raymond:
[00:13:30] We have a very good working relationship, and I'll come back to your direct question here in just a second. But sometimes I suggest that maybe we have too much fun together. It's not unusual for us to travel together to salmon or some other place. And it's not unusual for just two of us to go either because we can't be everywhere all the time and sometimes we have to fill in the gaps somewhere. Senator Shaw [00:14:00] is a great mentor. He is a man with great integrity and he's a great friend. And ironically, the opportunity to serve in the legislature came because Senator Bur shall have vacated a seat in the house, moved to the Senate. And because we do have such a good work relationship, he suggested perhaps that I consider running to fill that vacant seat. And that's how I got into the legislature in the beginning.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
And you ran [00:14:30] the same time initially as Representative Furnace? I did first. Did you two know each
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Other beforehand? Oh yeah. Oh yeah. He's a few bit younger than I am, but he coached basketball, coached my daughter in basketball. We were both raised in Manan. I don't know if you realize that. I didn't. But yeah, we were both raised in Manan about a mile apart. So I've known Rod all of his life, all of my life essentially.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Yeah. Well, and the way I see it is Senator Burtenshaw keeps you in line. Then I assume your jobs keep Rod in line, but if so, you're not doing [00:15:00] a very good job.
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Another thing though, we don't always agree,
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Sure.
Representative Jerald Raymond:
But when we disagree, we agree to disagree. And there's been times when we voted differently and I respect their vote and they respect my vote. But in general, we're all conservatives. We can all work towards the same goal of improving our conditions in Idaho. How we live here.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Well, [00:15:30] agreeing all the time is probably not a good thing.
Representative Jerald Raymond:
I think you're right. I don't think it's a good thing to agree all the time.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
I think it's Congressman Simpson always tells us that to those that won't compromise or clearly they're never been married or needs to or have a different view in their as they do to governance. So you had an interesting experience where you ran and were elected the same time as Representative Furnace in 2018. Was that election you served two sessions one term, [00:16:00] and then you had a primary challenger and lost by about 150 votes. Yes. Emotionally. What was that experience like when you realized that you weren't returning to the legislature?
Representative Jerald Raymond:
There's an interesting story there. The night of the election, we felt really good about the way things were going there. There was a time close to midnight that we were confident that we had won the election. We were excited [00:16:30] about that. My wife and I were excited about that. The next morning early, I started going up and down the roads, collecting campaign signs because I don't like to have them out any longer than they have to be out. And about nine o'clock, I got a call from the Statesman wanting a statement on why I lost the election.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
That's how you found out? That's
Representative Jerald Raymond:
How I found out. And I said, I am sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about. And I said, well, you've lost the election. And [00:17:00] I said, I'm going to make a phone call to the Secretary of State's office and I'll call you back. So I did. Anyway, to make a long story short, we did lose by approximately 150 votes, a little less than that. It was a high, and then it was a low. It was like, oh wow, what just happened here? And I wasn't even home. I was out gathering up campaign signs. And it takes a while to process that emotionally, [00:17:30] really.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
And I think a lot of us can relate to circumstances to some extent of where we've had a crushing defeat, the buzzer beater shot that the other team makes, or even academically or professionally when we're right there at something and then it just slips away. You lost. You spent the next two years watching the person that campaigned against you serving the legislature maybe vote a little differently than you did. Why run again? Why come back and try after [00:18:00] all that time, effort, and money that you'd put into it? You a glutton for punishment or what?
Representative Jerald Raymond:
I'm a glutton, I guess I really am. Well, it goes back to what we've discussed already, Brennan, deep seated, love for the state, deep seated love for the country, deep seated love for my family and the future of the state, and really a desire to serve. I had an interesting experience during the campaign. [00:18:30] We were at an event and a gentleman came up to me and explained to me what he wanted in a candidate, what he wanted in a public servant. What he said was, I really need a patriot. I need someone who's really a patriot to represent me. And I ask him, what does that mean to you? What is a patriot? Is it the guy that's open carrying or [00:19:00] conceal, carrying all the time and brandishes that out in the public? Or is it the guy that's quietly amassing an arsenal and ammunition?
I think one's as patriotic as the other. And my dad was a very true patriot in my opinion. And then he says, well, maybe you don't understand. I really want a warrior. I want somebody that's going to fight for me. And so I said, so what is a warrior to you? Is it someone who stands on the courthouse steps or the capitol steps at [00:19:30] every rally or every protest? Or is it the person that's inside with their sleeves rolled up doing the work and I want to be the guy in the building doing the work. That's what I want to be. And that was the impetus to going back and serving is I really want to be in that building. I want to have my sleeves rolled up. I want to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Well, I think at times a public servant has to choose, not all the [00:20:00] time, but at times they have to choose between making headlines and making policy. And it sounds like that's the difference in those two warriors is are you going to make headlines, you're going to make noise in your world. They might call it as, again, this is an old Mike Simpson quote that I'm still in is there's workhorses and there's show horses.
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Well, and sometimes making policy makes headlines and you don't intend to be in the limelight, but what you do in making policy sometimes puts [00:20:30] you there.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Returning to the legislature as you prepared for that, many of your colleagues commented on why it was important for you to return is because of your unique work experience in agriculture. You own and operate a livestock enterprise. You're one of the few that still has dirty boots as we call it. Right? You do it. There was an article in Politico a little while back that referenced how California's federal lawmakers, they're members of Congress, a lot of them that [00:21:00] were experienced or had time in agriculture were leaving the leaving Congress. And that was a problem for the state's agriculture because the people, their voice wasn't in Congress anymore. It was people that had different views and had other priorities than farms and ranches in that respect. Why is it so important that in Idaho and in our representative government, we have people who understand and have lived in an agriculture community?
Representative Jerald Raymond:
[00:21:30] One of my great fears is that the people in Idaho are not aware, not truly aware of the impact of agriculture in the state. Economically, we are a huge driver of the state's economy, and it's not getting smaller. It's actually getting bigger. When you compare Idaho to other states and how we rank with other states as far as what we produce and how we go about producing [00:22:00] it, we're growing. And some of those other states are diminishing or staying stagnant, whichever the case may be. But I think it's important that we have agricultural people representing the state because we've got to protect agriculture as an economic entity in the state. That's very, very important to the overall state's economy. I also think that people involved in agriculture have a very unique, they have a unique sense, [00:22:30] they have a unique way of looking at things. And I think that adds value to the decisions that are made in the State House.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
When you serve on the Ag Affairs Committee, you're the vice chair, correct? That's correct. So your role in there is, I mean you're kind of the front lines to some of the big challenges, but more importantly, the big solutions that our farmers and ranchers need, the ones who are out hauling hay moving pipe. What are some of the biggest challenges [00:23:00] that Idaho's farms, and you do a lot with the FFA, our future farmers. What are the challenges that're coming towards them?
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Well, inflation affects us all, but inflation has really affected agriculture in the state. We've got to make sure that we address that. The biggest challenge that faces agriculture is the labor force. It [00:23:30] really is a, we're reaching a critical time and a critical place in our labor force in the state of Idaho is it relates to agriculture. And I would say that another challenge that is very overcomeable is as it relates to the labor force is education. It's important that we, equipment that we're using today [00:24:00] is not the same equipment we used 20 years ago. And it's become a very sophisticated way of even repairing equipment anymore. These tractors, newer tractors are very computer-based, and it takes a technical person to be able to do that. And there's such a need for the career technical education portion in our state to help our young people get into careers in agriculture. Not all ag careers are haul hay movement pipe. [00:24:30] A lot of them are technical, a lot of 'em are very professional based. And it takes some training to get to those things. And you can do almost anything in agriculture if you want to have a desire
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
To. So when we talk about ag labor, why is ag more susceptible to labor challenges than Walmart down the street?
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Well, agriculture's pretty labor [00:25:00] intensive, pretty physically, labor intensive. And there's not a lot of people that want to do what we do from a physical labor standpoint. And so it's more difficult to find people that want to get up early and feed cattle before the sun comes up and bring calves in from the cold on a cold winter night and those kinds of things almost [00:25:30] it's in your blood. It's in your blood, but the costs have risen so high that it's hard for young people to get in to the agriculture these days.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
So a lot of farmers around the state rely on foreign born workforce to come in and help a lot
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Do,
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Whether that be green cards or visas. What happens if you as a legislature or more likely, Congress says, okay, no more. No more green cards and more visas because of the mess at our southern [00:26:00] border in terms of illegal immigration. We're not going to have these workers anymore. What does that do to Idaho?
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Well, let me just put it in
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Perspective. Please.
Representative Jerald Raymond:
If you were a dairyman and we're milking, let's just say 2000 cows and your workforce all of a sudden dried up, what would you do? How would you sleep at night? It wouldn't be much different [00:26:30] if your hay crop is ready to bail and you don't have anybody to operate that piece of equipment, or if it's harvest time and corn and you don't have a truck driver. And those stories are repeatable across the state. I've heard them, I've heard them from producers that have said, we have three trucks sitting idle because we don't have people to drive 'em. Boy, I'll tell you what, that would hurt production. That would be a major hit to production [00:27:00] in the state of Idaho. And we've got to do something. We've got to do something. And it is a federal issue. I understand that it's a federal issue, but we've got to bring people into this country legally to work.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Yeah. Well, and so we're recording. This probably won't go out till after Thanksgiving, but I think it's just as the listeners think about their Thanksgiving meals, and we talked about the importance of agriculture, we don't always make the connection that it was potentially an Idaho potato farm [00:27:30] that those mashed potatoes came from, and the milk came from maybe a Twin Falls dairy, and maybe they're even having a beer from the barley that was grown here in eastern Idaho. It really affects how we feed the world.
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Absolutely, it does. And sitting on that aga affairs committee is such a privilege, and I learn a lot. But Idaho was very diversified. We raise, raise sugar, beets and potatoes and beef [00:28:00] and dairy and hops and mitt and seeds of all kinds. And I've told to your point, I've told guests in our home many, many times, as we've sat down to eat, everything on your plate was raised on this farm either out of our garden or out of our feedlot. And people need to realize, [00:28:30] with the exception of milk, because we don't milk us, but people need to realize where their food comes from and what an asset we have in this great state of Idaho, most of what we produce is exported out of the state. We feed and clothe the world. We literally do.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
I think it's important to note again that your work with the future Farmers of America, and I mean shout out to Rigby Fremont, [00:29:00] they've got great programs there. That's important to make sure that there are people to backfill when you're six feet under and can't run a cattle operation.
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
So I want to talk a little bit about, we started with your district and how big it is, and you talked about how great of people are in it. I have a special place in my heart for a lot of the physical locations in your district. I grew up going to Island Park as a kid. So you've got Island Park, [00:29:30] you've got St. Anthony Sand, and of course Sam and Idaho. A lot of people in Salmon would not want us telling anybody how gorgeous it is there, but very special part of God's green earth that you represent. How do you manage when it comes to issues of a lot of it's federal land, some of it's state land, a lot of people live there because they like to hunt on those lands. They like to fish in those rivers and those lakes and they like to recreate with their ATVs and get out. How do you ensure that the people [00:30:00] of Idaho are able to use those lands, but that they're still there for the future? And I ask because conservationist has been a dirty term in the Republican party for so long, or it can be, and we have images of tree huggers, but also Republicans can serve as like yourself. They don't want to see high rise apartments all over Island Park. Yeah,
Representative Jerald Raymond:
So true. So [00:30:30] we have to work to make sure that our lands, our public lands are available to those who want to use them. But I believe very firmly in the multiple use doctrine that lands that are grazed by cattle can also be recreated on lands that have timber on them that we can harvest, also can be recreated on. But we have to be respectful. [00:31:00] We have to be respectful of the land of the resource. Obviously what is grown on those lands is renewable. We can't be destroying them with off-road vehicles that don't respect trails and roads and those kinds of things and just take off out through the middle of stuff. We had an interesting bill come before us last session that dealt with state lands, [00:31:30] and I learned through that process that our state endowment lands over 90% of those lands are accessible either by foot or by water or by motorized vehicle. And as a state, we want people to appreciate, we want them to hunt and fish and recreate, but they also need to be respectful so we don't destroy the resource. I think that's very important.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Yeah, I agree. Fire is a big issue in your district as well. I'm sure that's [00:32:00] something, thankfully it wasn't a rough fire season up there, but it's always something I'm sure you're keeping your eye on.
Representative Jerald Raymond:
It is. Fire can be so devastating. I mean, it can ruin watersheds. It has an effect on people that graze. It has an effect on communities as a whole. Air quality is a big, big issue when you live in a fire in a community that has wildfires. So I think it's important that we prevent them, but when we [00:32:30] do have 'em, it's important to get 'em put out as quickly as we possibly can. We worked very closely with the Forest Service last summer with the Hayden Creek fire and the folks in that community very concerned, very concerned that if that fire continued, it would get into an area that simply would be an area they couldn't put it out. So we worked very closely with, and thankfully those folks invited us into their meetings and helped us. We discussed openly how to get that fire put out [00:33:00] in a timely manner.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Speaking of working closely, I got to ask, how's your relationship with Governor Little
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Great. In my opinion, we worked together long before I was a legislator in public lands policy. I had the privilege of serving as president of the Catalyst Association, the Auto Catalyst Association, and we were together many, many times in many meetings and are like-minded when it comes to [00:33:30] livestock issues, public land issues. Perfect.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Yeah. I just had to ask. So when it comes to the podcast, you've listened to this before, so some of these questions that are coming that we ask everybody, I'm going to throw one at you that we haven't asked everybody. Oh, really? Okay. Because you have such a soft spot in your heart for the Constitution. You talked about being in Norway and realizing the beauty of the American economic system. I want you to tell us who your favorite president is.
Representative Jerald Raymond:
[00:34:00] I would have to say it's Ronald Reagan. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. I think we kind of started in public service in similar ways. It had such a way about him of just putting people at ease and such a common sense approach to challenges that people in America faced at the time.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Fantastic. Now, a book that you would recommend.
Representative Jerald Raymond:
[00:34:30] I will admit, I'm not an avid reader. I'm an avid listener because I spend so much time on the road that I listen more than I read. But there's one book that stands out to me, and that is the biography of Russell M. Nelson.
I had an interesting experience the very first day in the Capitol, when I served in 2019, there was a program that was sponsored by one of the education groups, [00:35:00] and they put on the screen a graph that I found very interesting. It started in the year 1820 and went to 2019, and it showed the growth, growth of societal evolution of how our society has benefited through education and learning. From 1820, clear to that present day, and Russell M. Nelson was part of that progress. He was a renowned [00:35:30] heart surgeon that actually invented bypass, the Heart bypass machine and other things along the way that help people live a better life. And his life history is just so interesting. I'd
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Recommend it. Is that the one by Sherry? Do? It is fantastic. That is. Yeah, that's great. Now, the tough one, a restaurant in your massive district that you would say, if anyone's driving through town, they have to stop and eat here.
Representative Jerald Raymond:
I can't pick one.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
[00:36:00] You can give me a couple.
Representative Jerald Raymond:
If I can. I will. Ashton has the Frost top, the five 11 V, and they've got Big Judds and Rigby. You've got, Rolands has a great d. Rolands
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Does. I don't,
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Don't know how many people know that, but they do. And you've got Papa Kelsey's, and in Salmon, you've got the Savage Grill, but there's one that many people may not know about, and that is in Baker, just outside of Salmon. There's an Amish community and they have a general store there, and they make [00:36:30] the meanest sandwich really? And the best fried pie
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
That sounds healthy. A fried pie. Right.
Representative Jerald Raymond:
I didn't say healthy, I said good.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
What's the name of it again?
Representative Jerald Raymond:
I don't know the
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Name of it. It's just a bakery and salmon.
Representative Jerald Raymond:
No, it is in Baker.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Oh, okay. That's where I missed it. It's in the
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Community of Baker, outside
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Of Salmon,
Representative Jerald Raymond:
And it's the Amish community that has built this store, and I think it's just the Baker Country store, I think is what they call it. You can't miss it. Okay.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
[00:37:00] Yeah,
Representative Jerald Raymond:
It's there. You see the sign that says Baker, Idaho, just look to your east and it's right there, right on the highway on Highway 28.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Go get in line for a fried go
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Get line for a fried pie. You're the nicest people in the world.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
You're not missing anything in Manan. A place to eat there, like
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Valley White Co-op,
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Like Valley White Co-op. There
Representative Jerald Raymond:
You go. They make really good chickens. They have
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Something there. Yeah. Oh, that's fantastic. Representative. We started off today talking about your grandkids. You talked about a concern about Idaho changing [00:37:30] and not being the Idaho you grew up in, and you talked about the excitement of Idaho holding on to its values and principles when the rest of the country and world changes. Talked about your mission in Norway, your experience as a student body president, beating Sheriff, wild, your time as on the county Commission, what you learned there. So we went through your political career and the importance of having agriculture representation and then walking through your books, your president, all the favorite things you've gone through. [00:38:00] I'm curious, as we wrap up today, what are some of the most important things to you in life? What would you say? This is what I need to hold dear, and then how in the legislature do you try to protect that?
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Oh, that's a great question. God, family, country, those three things, every decision I make in the legislature ties back to those things. [00:38:30] I'm so appreciative of the fact that we begin every day with a spiritual thought, with prayer, with a pledge of allegiance to the flag of this country. I'm grateful for the Constitution. That's a guiding document that gives us the guidance we need to make good decisions. But ultimately, ultimately, I want this state to be a place that my grandkids can be. Our kids all live [00:39:00] in Idaho now. All of our kids are back in Idaho. Some left for a short time for educational purposes. They're all back. All of my grandkids have been or will be educated in this state. We need to make sure that that system is a system where they can learn and grow and achieve what they want to do in life. And we need to make sure that we protect them. We need to make sure that we have good law enforcement, that we have people that are willing to help [00:39:30] them. In that case of an emergency, we need to make sure that our learning institutions will give them the basis they need to learn so that they can be productive citizens as they move forward. And hopefully this state will be great for their grandkids too.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Yeah, hopefully. Representative Raymond, good legislator, great grandfather.
Representative Jerald Raymond:
Oh, thank you.
Brennan Summers, Executive Director Main Street ID:
Great. Not great grandfather. Good grandfather. Awesome Grandfather. Thanks so much for being here. Thank you. We've learned a lot from you. We're going to have to have you back as we dig into [00:40:00] more of these issues. Good luck feeding the cows this winter. Thank you. Stay on top of that, will you? Okay. We'll have you back. Appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you.
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