A Lake Fork ranch with ties to Valley County’s early settlers will be among the first properties in the state protected by a new agriculture designation.
On Wednesday, the county approved designating 159 acres along West Lake Fork Road near Idaho 55 as an Agricultural Protection Area. The designation limits development on the Leaf Ranch, as the property is known, to only certain buildings related to agricultural operations, while barring all other uses.
“An APA designation aims to protect productive farmland, range land, and forest land, promote farm viability, support the local agricultural economy, and provide for long-term planning stability,” Planning and Zoning Director Cynda Herrick said.
The Leaf Ranch is the first property in Valley County, and among the first in the state, to receive the designation since it was created in 2024.
“We’re making history today, so that’s exciting,” said Sherry Maupin, who chairs the Board of County Commissioners.
The term of the designation will be set by the commissioners when legal documents are signed on Nov. 10, but it is required by law to be at least 20 years. The term renews upon expiration, unless otherwise requested by the landowner.
Cascade resident Bill Leaf, whose grandfather established the ranch in 1902, said he hopes the designation inspires other agricultural landowners to follow suit.
“We like the opportunity that we’re one of the first, and hopefully other people will be joining, especially some of these (ranches) that have been in the families for hundreds of years,” he said.
The designation may only be lifted early with 10-years notice or if the county commissioners approve a hardship application by the landowners.
“It has to be due to specific things like financial distress or something like that,” Herrick said. “It can’t just be because it’s been sold and now they want to develop it.”
A portion of the designation could also be removed by the county for new development related to agricultural use, like housing or industrial facilities.
The designation stays with the land if it is sold, an outcome Leaf said is prevented under the terms of the family partnership he created to hold the property.
Without donors like you, this story would not exist.
Make a donation of any size here
‘A river of green meadow flowing through the valley’
The Leaf Family ranch has been used for agriculture since 1902, when it was deeded to the family by President William Howard Taft under the Homestead Act.
Leaf’s grandfather, Andrew Lehti, broke ground on the ranch in the 1890s, according to a historical narrative Leaf was required to submit with his application for the designation.
“Andrew and Jacob Maki walked over the mountain from Council, and looking across the valley, they spotted a ribbon of green meadow flowing through the valley,” the narrative said. “That was just the kind of area they were looking for because it was much like their homeland, back in Finland.”
The original homestead site contains a hay barn, a shop, an equipment shed, a Finnish sauna, a 1903 cabin, and the family ranch home.
The ranch is currently used to raise hay and graze cattle. It was honored as an Idaho Century Ranch in 2011. A sign denoting its status as an Agricultural Protection Area will be installed on the property by the county.
A one-acre home site parcel that is part of the 160-acre Leaf Ranch is not included in the protection area designation.
Incentive program to come?
The Leaf family will not receive any financial benefit for the designation — at least not yet.
The county’s Agricultural Protection Commission, which is chaired by Leaf, is discussing possible incentives to encourage other agricultural landowners to apply for the designation.
The Valley-Adams County Farm Bureau, an agricultural advocacy group, proposed a 10% property tax reduction to designated lands, which are already subject to lower tax rates on agricultural land.
Another idea is to establish an income tax discount for agricultural operations on the designated lands.
The designation was created in 2024 when the Idaho Legislature adopted the Agricultural Protection Area Act.
Eligibility for the designation requires at least five contiguous acres that have been devoted to agricultural uses for at least three years. The land must also be viable for continued agricultural use, as demonstrated through a 20-year plan submitted by applicants.
The law calls for the creation of a donor fund to be distributed on a per-acre basis to landowners approved for the designation. The fund is to be administered by local soil and water conservation districts.
Valley Lookout asked the Valley Soil and Water Conservation District about the status of the fund, but did not immediately receive a response.
