# Opinion: Could removing four dams help Idaho farmers?

> A guest columnist argues that breaching four lower Snake River dams in Washington could reduce the upper Snake River water released each year for salmon migration, which totals up to 487,000 acre-feet. He says the water could potentially be kept for Idaho irrigation, though water rights and federal obligations would need negotiation.

- Date: 2026-11-04 · published 2026-11-04T18:13:26.770Z
- Category: policy · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/80154-opinion-could-removing-four-dams-help-idaho-farmers
- Commodities: [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md), [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md), [Soybeans](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SOY.md)

## Why it matters

This is an opinion piece proposing a policy idea with no decision yet. Any change to irrigation water supply would affect southern Idaho crop output only over the long term, so the price impact is negligible.

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| SOY | 2026-03-11 | [Is the tariff money being used to help farmers?](https://feedsoft.ai/events/20150-is-the-tariff-money-being-used-to-help-farmers.md) | -2.5% | -2.1% |
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| SOY | 2017-05-02 | [Thune: Our Nation Depends on Farmers and Ranchers](https://feedsoft.ai/events/71002-thune-our-nation-depends-on-farmers-and-ranchers.md) | -0.3% | -4.8% |

## Sources

- postregister.com: https://www.postregister.com/opinion/guest_column/opinion-could-removing-four-dams-help-idaho-farmers/article_d393e061-64a1-42d0-8124-8da3cec82f67.html

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.