What We Do

Our Goal

To inform the public and gather information from our rural communities about how governmental actions at the state and the national level are affecting all of us.

Our programs are funded partly by an Innovation Grant from the Idaho Democratic Party and partly from the budgets of our five county parties. Since the Innovation Grants are made in mid-year, our programs take place in the third and fourth quarters.

2025 Activities

During 2025, we sponsored two community forums.

Member of Congress Forum

On August 23, we held a “Member of Congress” Forum in Lewiston. Senators Crapo and Risch, and Representative Fulcher were each invited to attend. The event was designed to provide an opportunity for our Members of Congress to hear from, and respond to, concerns of their constituents in the area in an environment with well-defined rules for civility and respect for all points of view.  

Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, the three representatives did not attend.  The organizers had anticipated this and had said that the event would take place regardless, that it would be videotaped, and the video would be sent to the representatives.  

The Forum was held at the Williams Conference Center on the campus of Lewis Clark State College in Lewiston.  Over 75 people attended the two hour event.

During the first hour, representatives from several local non-profit groups in the region gave short presentations about their work and the challenges they face. Each ended with some specific questions for the Senators and Congressman.

During the second hour of the Forum, individual members of the audience rose to speak to the photos on the dais, raising a variety of topics and asking tough questions.

A video of the entire event is available for all to view on the Coalition’s YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPIByowFS0HLiuQ-LNlhNCQ. It was sent to Senators Crapo and Risch and Congressman Fulcher, but none of them responded to it.

A detailed report on the entire two hour session was published on the Nez Perce County Democrats website: https://npcdems.org/2025/09/02/a-report-from-the-forum-with-our-absent-members-of-congress/

Agriculture Forum

On October 15, we sponsored “Growing Our Understanding: What’s Happening to Farming in Idaho”, in Grangeville. 40 people attended the event.

The forum was organized as a panel discussion, featuring Idaho Wheat Commission executive director Britany Marchant, University of Idaho agricultural economist and extension educator Colby Field, and retired Lewis County extension educator and Weippe-area farmer Ken Hart.

Much of the discussion centered on the cost-price squeeze facing crop producers — input costs still running about a quarter above pre-pandemic levels even after adjusting for inflation, while a fifth consecutive year of record world wheat production keeps prices depressed. Field’s blunt assessment was that on most crop budgets the profit figure currently starts with a minus sign.

Hart traced how farming in the area has changed since he started in 1979, with broad adoption of direct-seed/no-till systems, larger GPS-guided equipment, and consolidation into fewer but bigger operations. He noted no-till’s heavy dependence on glyphosate and the need for careful crop rotations to manage resistance. He pushed back on the idea that absentee corporations dominate local ground, arguing the operations here are family farms even when corporate in legal structure.

Marchant covered the wheat industry’s reliance on exports and northern Idaho’s particular niche — soft white wheat, used for noodles, sponge cakes and steamed buns, grown almost exclusively in Idaho, Washington and Oregon, with roughly half to three-fifths of Idaho’s crop shipped overseas to Pacific Rim buyers.

One priority she highlighted was mental-health outreach, noting that Idaho farmers rank among the state’s highest-risk demographics for suicide and urging neighbors to check on one another.

Audience questions ranged over land prices, succession planning, crop rotations and the growth of canola on the Camas Prairie.

Asked what the public could do, Hart urged support for agricultural research nationally, Marchant asked Congress to boost foreign market development and promotion funding in the next farm bill — money she said hasn’t increased in 20 years — and Field called for cost-share programs to help producers adopt new technology and improve efficiency, even on thin margins.

2026 Plans

During the second half of 2026, our focus will be on supporting Democratic candidates in the mid-term elections. Several events are currently in the planning stage.

Join Us?

If you like what you see and want to get involved with our work, send us a note through the Contact Us form and a representative of the coaltion will contact you to talk about your interests.