IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — Eastern Idaho farmers are heading into a second consecutive dry year facing tighter water supplies, earlier groundwater pumping, and mounting financial pressure — and a Rexburg-based crop advisor is hoping a new web application can ease at least part of the burden.
McKay Anderson, a crop advisor with Valley Ag in Rexburg, launched the Ag Water Tracker web app approximately two weeks ago to help farmers in the region monitor their water usage and meet monthly reporting requirements under a 2024 state mitigation agreement. The app allows growers to log meter readings from their wells, track usage against their allocated water allotment in real time, and automatically send those readings to their local groundwater district once a month via email.
“The grower can go to their meter and input their meter readings,” Anderson said. “Not every farmer is going to their well every day, but they have people who are. The app allows multiple users to sync to a single account. Once a month, it will automatically send those readings to their water district through email.”
Drought Conditions Driving Early Pumping, Low Reservoirs
According to Anderson, the lack of snowpack this past winter has left canal and reservoir systems significantly below normal levels across eastern Idaho. Groundwater pumping has started earlier than usual, and water usage is expected to be higher than average throughout the 2026 irrigation season. Surface water users face similar constraints, with low water levels in canal and reservoir systems compounding the region’s agricultural challenges.
The Idaho Department of Water Resources has previously threatened to shut off pumps for groundwater users who exceed their allotted water use. A mitigation agreement reached in 2024 created a safe harbor protecting wells from being shut off, but it also requires groundwater users to carefully track usage and submit monthly meter readings to their local groundwater district. The 2026 irrigation season marks the third year of operation under that four-year plan, which is set to be renegotiated in 2027.
Anderson warned that the stakes of exceeding this year’s allotment are severe. If farmers use more water than their allocation allows in 2026, they could face a water shortage in 2027 — leaving producers with even fewer options heading into the plan’s final year.
After last year’s hot, dry summer, many farmers in eastern Idaho either exceeded their allotments or came dangerously close. Anderson said the anxiety heading into this season is palpable among the growers he works with daily.
Farmers Cutting Acreage, Facing Financial Strain
The water shortage has already forced some producers to scale back operations. Adam Young, a board member with the Bingham Groundwater District who farms approximately 2,600 acres outside Blackfoot, told officials last month that he has eliminated around 100 acres of planting this season to conserve water. Young has also enrolled 22 acres in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, known as CREP, which provides annual rental payments and financial incentives to landowners who remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and implement conservation practices.
Anderson said similar adjustments are being made by farmers throughout eastern Idaho, and the effects are rippling beyond individual farm operations.
“The effects carry over into the fertilizer industry. Farmers who plant fewer crops use less fertilizer, which means we sell less and take home less money. It’s a ripple effect,” Anderson said.
The broader financial picture for eastern Idaho agriculture is bleak. Crop prices remain depressed, and Anderson acknowledged that farming “right now is not a good situation” for many producers. “A lot of times it just doesn’t pencil — they’re losing money,” he said.
Under Idaho law, surface water users hold senior water rights, and groundwater users are required to maintain plans to recharge the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer during periods of shortage. The current drought conditions have eliminated recharge opportunities, adding another layer of legal and operational pressure on groundwater users, according to Young.
Anderson also noted that the tracking data generated by the app could prove valuable if farmers are ever required to legally defend their water rights. He said he developed the app over the past year after recognizing that growers needed a practical tool to meet their reporting obligations without adding significant burden to their daily operations.
“I’m trying to help my growers any way I can,” Anderson said. “They’re my friends, and I saw a need and thought, Let’s try and help these guys out.”
What Comes Next
Anderson said he is actively working to educate eastern Idaho farmers about the Ag Water Tracker app, though he acknowledged the timing presents its own challenges given the financial strain many producers are currently facing. The 2026 irrigation season is now underway, and water conditions across the region will be closely monitored as the season progresses.
The 2024 mitigation agreement governing groundwater use in eastern Idaho is scheduled for renegotiation in 2027 when the current four-year term expires. How this year’s drought conditions affect water allotments and aquifer levels could significantly shape those future negotiations.
For statewide coverage of Idaho’s water management challenges and agricultural policy, visit idahonews.co. For regional news network context, visit IdahoNewsNetwork.com.