IMAGINE LIVING IN A PLACE WITH NO STORES.

NO PLACE TO BUY FOOD.

THE FIRST PEOPLE WHO CAME LOOKING FOR GOLD HAD THAT PROBLEM.

THEY DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO MINE AND STILL FIND FOOD.

THE ANSWER IS IDAHO'S NUMBER ONE INDUSTRY.

JOIN US AS WE LEARN MORE ABOUT AGRICULTURE.

A LOT OF THE PEOPLE WHO LIVED IN AND AROUND SILVER CITY GREW FOOD.

HI, I'M PHYLLIS EDMUNDSON.

FARMING STARTED IN IDAHO BECAUSE PEOPLE NEEDED SOMETHING TO EAT.

MINERS WANTED FOOD AND CLOTHING.

AT FIRST, FOOD WAS HAULED IN FROM FAR AWAY.

BUT THEN, FARMERS STARTED GROWING THINGS HERE.

THE EARLY FARMERS HAD A TOUGH TIME.

SOME EARLY FARMERS DID WELL.

IN BOISE, TOM DAVIS GREW APPLES.

HE SOLD FRESH APPLES TO MINERS.

BUT FARMERS WHO SOLD TO MINERS HAD A BIG PROBLEM.

CAN YOU GUESS WHAT THAT WAS?

WHEN THE GOLD RAN OUT, THE MINERS LEFT.

THEN WHO WOULD THEY SELL THEIR CROPS TO?

YOU CAN'T SELL A CROP UNLESS SOMEONE ELSE CAN BUY IT.

IT WAS HARD TO MOVE CROPS OVER BAD ROADS.

BUT THAT DIDN'T STOP PEOPLE FROM TRYING.

FRANKLIN WAS THE FIRST TOWN IN IDAHO, BUILT IN 1860.

THE SOIL WAS GOOD BUT THERE WAS NO WATER.

CAN YOU GUESS WHAT MORMON SETTLERS DID?

HOW ABOUT IRRIGATION?

IRRIGATION IS A WAY OF MOVING WATER TO FARMLAND.

A DITCH IS USED TO TAKE WATER TO THE FIELDS.

MORMON FARMERS BUILT TOWNS LIKE REXBURG, RIGBY, IDAHO FALLS, PRESTON AND CHESTERFIELD.

ONE GREAT LEADER OF THAT TIME WAS THOMAS RICKS.

HE HELPED SETTLE MANY FARMS IN EASTERN IDAHO.

THE PALOUSE IS IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE STATE.

IT HAS MANY ROLLING HILLS.

FARMING WAS HARD BECAUSE THE LAND WASN'T FLAT.

NEW TOOLS WERE MADE TO MAKE FARMING ON THE PALOUSE EASIER.

BUT IT WAS STILL HARD TO CARRY CROPS FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER.

THEN THE RAILROAD CAME TO IDAHO.

WITH RAILROADS, A FARMER COULD SEND CROPS TO THE EAST OR WEST COAST.

IRRIGATION, BETTER TOOLS AND THE RAILROAD; THESE THREE THINGS HELPED MAKE IDAHO'S AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY.

MORE PEOPLE BEGAN COMING TO IDAHO.

CANAL COMPANIES FORMED SO MORE LAND COULD BE IRRIGATED.

A CANAL COMPANY IS A GROUP WHO BUILD CANALS AND DAMS.

FARMERS THEN PAY THE CANAL COMPANY TO MOVE WATER FROM THE RIVER TO THEIR LAND.

NOT ALL THE COMPANIES WORKED, AND SOME FARMERS WENT BROKE.

BUT MANY OTHERS DID NOT.

ONE MAN MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN AGRICULTURE.

HIS NAME WAS IRA PERRINE.

ACCORDING TO HIS DAUGHTER, STELLA PERRINE HAIGHT, HE FIRST CAME TO MINE.

Stella Perrine Haight: "HE DECIDED HE WAS TOO SMALL TO WORK IN THE MINES.

HE THOUGHT THE MINERS NEEDED MILK.

HE DROVE SOME MILK COWS UP TO HAILEY, THEN TO SHOSHONE FALLS LOOKING FOR A PLACE FOR HIS COWS."

Phyllis: PERRINE ALSO FOUND A PLACE READY TO GROW CROPS.

HE PLANTED THOUSANDS OF FRUIT TREES.

AND SOME OF HIS APPLES WON MEDALS.

HE OWNED A HOTEL AND RAN A STAGE LINE.

WHILE STARING INTO A FIRE, HE HAD AN IDEA.

HE AND SOME BUSINESS PARTNERS BUILT THE MILNER DAM.

THAT BROUGHT WATER TO THOUSANDS OF ACRES IN SOUTHERN IDAHO.

MOST OF THE TOWNS IN THE MAGIC VALLEY WERE STARTED BECAUSE OF PERRINE'S WORK.

TODAY, THERE IS A BRIDGE OUTSIDE OF TWIN FALLS THAT IS NAMED AFTER PERRINE.

HAVE YOU EVER CROSSED IT?

THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE CAME HERE TO GROW CROPS AND RAISE CATTLE AND SHEEP.

TRUCKS AND OTHER MACHINES REPLACED HORSES AND WAGONS.

ROADS WERE BETTER.

FARMERS COULD GROW MORE FOR LESS MONEY.

DAMS MADE ELECTRICITY.

VERY HOT OR COLD WEATHER COULD RUIN A FARMER.

BUT IN 1990, AGRICULTURE WAS IDAHO'S NUMBER ONE INDUSTRY.

BUT NOW, FARMERS HAVE NEW PROBLEMS.

PESTICIDES ARE IMPORTANT BUT THEY CAN POLLUTE THE WATER.

DAMS MAKE IRRIGATION POSSIBLE, BUT THEY MAY HURT THE SALMON.

THERE ARE A LOT OF DEMANDS FOR IDAHO'S WATER.

SOME PEOPLE WANT TO USE MORE WATER FOR RECREATION THAN FOR IRRIGATION.

HOW DO WE DECIDE WHO GETS HOW MUCH WATER?

FARMING WAS PRETTY HARD AROUND SILVER CITY.

BUT THE FARMERS DID THE BEST THEY COULD.

IDAHOANS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN PRETTY SMART.

IN FACT, IDAHO HAS GIVEN THE WORLD OF AGRICULTURE TWO GIFTS.

CAN YOU GUESS WHAT THEY MIGHT BE?

THESE ARE POLYPAY SHEEP.

IDAHO SCIENTISTS HAVE DEVELOPED THREE NEW BREEDS OF SHEEP.

WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES THESE SHEEP SO SPECIAL?

THESE SHEEP GROW WELL THROUGH IDAHO'S HOT SUMMERS AND COLD WINTERS.

THAT MEANS MORE MONEY FOR THE SHEEP OWNERS.

IDAHO'S SUPER SHEEP LIVE IN ALL PARTS OF THE WORLD.

AND SCIENTISTS ARE RAISING SPECIAL DOGS TO WATCH THE SPECIAL SHEEP.

RAISING SHEEP IS HARD BUT RAISING IDAHO POTATOES IS EVEN TOUGHER.

IDAHO POTATOES ARE KNOWN ALL OVER THE WORLD.

IDAHO HAS THE RIGHT SOIL FOR GROWING POTATOES.

BUT IDAHO CAN THANK JOE MARSHALL FOR SELLING THE IDAHO POTATO TO THE WORLD.

MARSHALL WAS CALLED THE KING OF POTATOES.

HIS SON, CHARLIE MARSHALL REMEMBERS HOW HIS DAD WOULD GIVE THOUSANDS OF POUNDS OF POTATOES TO CHILDREN.

Joe Marshall: "EVERYPLACE HE WENT HE GAVE THE POTATOES AWAY.

HE HAD AS MUCH AS 10,000 POUNDS AT A TIME.

THAT'S A LOT OF POTATOES.

BUT THEY LOVED THAT."

Phyllis: IDAHOANS KNOW HOW TO SELL THEIR POTATOES... AND NOT JUST TO AMERICANS.

Japanese potato chip commercial IDAHOANS GROW A LOT OF CROPS: LENTILS, SUGAR BEETS, MINT, CORN AND TOMATOES.

WE RAISE SHEEP AND CATTLE.

MAKE MILK AND CHEESE AND WOOL.

AND LOTS, LOTS MORE.

IDAHO'S AGRICULTURE, IT STARTED BECAUSE MINERS NEEDED FOOD.

IT GREW BECAUSE OF THINGS LIKE THE RAILROAD AND BECAUSE OF MEN LIKE IRA PERRINE AND THOMAS RICKS.

AND IT'S FAMOUS BECAUSE OF PRODUCTS LIKE THE POLYPAY SHEEP AND THE RUSSET BURBANK.

WHEN SILVER CITY WAS STILL AN ACTIVE TOWN, A FARMER COULD GROW ENOUGH FOOD TO FEED FIVE PEOPLE.

BY THE YEAR 2000, A FARMER SHOULD GROW ENOUGH TO FEED 100.

IN 1990, FOUR OUT OF TEN IDAHOANS WORKED IN AGRICULTURE.

THAT'S A BIG CHANGE FROM THE FEW WHO FIRST FARMED THE STATE.

DOES ANYONE IN YOUR FAMILY WORK IN AGRICULTURE?

AGRICULTURE PLAYS AN IMPORTANT PART IN IDAHO'S HISTORY.

I'LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME.

CLOSED CAPTION TRANSCRIPTION BY SARA J. HANSEN