As record-breaking heat, smoke and wildfire plagued the Pacific Northwest this summer, many of Idaho’s agricultural businesses were affected by the enduring summer, droughts and long fire seasons of the past few years.

The summer of 2021 was an especially hot, smoky one with July being the hottest month in recorded human history and an unusually early start to the smoke lingering in the air. While some places hadn’t seen any serious effects, local growers and ranchers at the base of our food chain were dealing with lessened crops, wildfire, lack of rain and smoke exposure.

Written by Anteia McCollum

The scent of summer in Idaho’s Treasure Valley is undeniably one of the land.

Drive down Ustick or Highway 20/26 on a balmy July night with the windows down, and the cool, grassy smells of spearmint and alfalfa fields surround you. If you’re out particularly late, and the dewpoint is just right, the mechanical whir of harvesters and farm trucks provide an ambient soundtrack to the evening, their headlights illuminating their own dust clouds.