Twin Falls County is one of Idaho’s leading agricultural production counties.  Twin Falls County is located in South Central Idaho, which is commonly referred to as the Magic Valley.  There are 1,232,064 acres within the county, and approximately one-third of the land is used for agricultural production.  The climate of Twin Falls County is characterized as dry with an average annual precipitation of 10.4 inches and relatively low humidity.  Temperatures range from an average 91.5 degrees F in July to an average 18.5 degrees F in January.  The average length of the growing season, based on freeze-free temperatures, is 133 days, from May 13 to September 23. 

 Crop producers in Twin Falls County grow a wider diversity of crops than other Magic Valley county producers.  The major crops grown in Twin Falls County are beans, alfalfa hay, malt barley, wheat, corn, sugar beets, and potatoes.  Twin Falls County is the largest producer of dry beans, and second largest producer of alfalfa hay, and the third largest producer of silage corn in the state of Idaho. Two-fifths (740,600 cwt.) of all dry beans in the state are produced here.  Alfalfa hay and silage corn production in the county is estimated to be 408,500 tons and 470,000 tons, respectively.  Other crops grown are oats, peas, a few small seed and specialty crops, apples, peaches, pears, sweet cherries, apricots, and nectarines.  There are about 125 acres of orchards located mostly in the Snake River canyon.    

 Irrigation Sources

 Since annual rainfall is limited, irrigation plays a vital part of crop production in Twin Falls County. There are approximately 275,000 acres of cropland of which 99 percent are irrigated. There are four primary irrigation developments that provide water to the county's agricultural lands. The Twin Falls Tract, which is governed by the Twin Falls Canal Company, services about 190,000 acres. The water in this tract is diverted from the Snake River at Milner Dam and other storage sites up the river. The Salmon Falls Tract is administered by the Salmon Falls Canal Company Board of Directors. Its source of water comes from Salmon Falls Creek and its drainages, and the water is stored in a nine-mile long reservoir at the south end of the county between Rogerson and the Nevada line. It serves about 35,000 acres. The Roseworth Tract originates from the Cedar Creek drainage and is stored in a reservoir. This tract is in the Southwestern part of the county, and it services about 5,000 acres. The Bell Rapids project is a private irrigation development located in the Northwestern part of the county. Water is pumped from the Snake River and irrigates about 28,000 acres. In addition to these developments, there are approximately 30,000 acres irrigated by wells and Rock Creek, along with numerous other creeks.

This page was last updated on 17 December 2007