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Lincoln County is located in the south-central region of Idaho. It
ranks 39th among counties in population and 25th in area. It is
positioned 30 miles north of Twin Falls on Highway 93 and 75 miles
south of Sun Valley on Highway 75. The county seat is Shoshone and
the county includes two other incorporated cities, Richfield and
Dietrich. US highway 93, and state highways 24, 26, and 75
converge in Shoshone, making this town a major crossroads for
travel through this part of the state. The Union Pacific railroad
runs through Shoshone, however it is only a main line with no
passenger or freight service available.
Lincoln County is in a transitional zone between
the rich agricultural areas on the Snake River plain to the south
and the recreational areas to the north. The county is a high
plains desert dominated by basalt flows. Elevation and climate are
limiting factors to crop production with elevation averaging 4100
feet in crop producing areas, and a frost free period of 129 days.
The county is 78% public owned land with most
administered by the Bureau of Land Management. One hundred
thousand acres are used for agriculture production, either for
crops or irrigated and dryland pastures. There are about 78,000
acres irrigated in the county. The major crops raised include
alfalfa, cereal grains, oats for hay, and more recently silage corn
acreage is increasing to support the dairy industry. Some potatoes
and sugar beets are grown in the Dietrich and Hidden Valley areas.
The major livestock production is dairy cattle, beef cattle, and
some small farm sheep flocks and a few small swine herds.
Lincoln County has long been a commuter county, and
this is increasing as people continue to move here due to lower
home and land prices, and drive to their jobs in the Wood River
valley or Twin Falls and Jerome.
The University of Idaho Cooperative
Extension system has the purpose of bringing the resources of the
University of Idaho to the people of Idaho. Our responsibility is
to be responsive in helping farmers, ranchers, home makers, small
business owners and others find solutions to their problems.
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