BY KAREN BOSSICK

A potluck to honor Picabo rancher Nick Purdy will be held from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, at the Upper Big Wood River Grange, 609 S. 3rd Ave. in Hailey.

The community potluck, which will feature music from local musicians, will celebrate Purdy’s Southern Idaho Grange Award as Agriculture Person of the Year.

Purdy is being honored for his commitment to the legacy of the Purdy ranch and his care for the environment. The ranch, which stretches for 20 miles between what the Purdys own and lease, has been in the family since 1889. And Nick Purdy has taken it into the 21st century with regenerative practice that cut expenses, allow for diverse uses, stop soil erosion, increase wildlife habitats and promote a healthy ecosystem for the  world-class Silver Creek that runs through the ranch.

Fifteen members of the Purdy family run the ranch, and all are on board with trying new things. In the past five years, they’ve added RV hookups and storage units near their Angler’s Café and Rancher’s Supply.

They tend a thousand head of cattle, 4,500 acres of cash crop and a thousand acres of cattle pasture. They’ve employed regenerative practices for 14 years, reducing tillage and chemical use, leading to better soil health. They rotate their alfalfa and barley crops with mustard and pasture for horses.

Armed with a Natural Resources Conservation Service grant, they started a project this fall to pump water through pipes to eliminate the evaporation from canals. The Purdys are also redoing a dam at the end of Silver Creek into Loving Creek so the trout can return to their headwaters.

They were part of a massive project in the early 2000s to restore Silver Creek, restoring willows, fencing off the creek and dredging out decades of silt preventing erosion. And they’ve placed 3,500 acres under a conservation easement in partnership with the Nature Conservancy.

Moose, elk and birds have returned to the land, and the work has helped preserve Silver Creek as a premiere destination for fly fishermen who come from around the world.

Purdy was nominated for the award by Grant Loomis, associate extension educator of the University of Idaho in Blaine County.

“Nick comes from a long line of stewards of the land, and his farming operation reflects both deep respect for tradition and a forward-looking vision for the future,” wrote Loomis. “Under his leadership, his family’s enterprises have not only honored generations of hard work and heritage but have also embraced innovative practices to improve efficiency, production, and long-term sustainability.”

Beyond his role as a producer, Nick has consistently supported youth through 4-H programs, mentoring the next generation of farmers and agricultural leaders with the same values of hard work, responsibility, and innovation that have defined his own career, Loomis added.

“His willingness to give back ensures that the culture of agriculture remains strong in Idaho’s future,” Loomis wrote. “Nick Purdy is not only a farmer; he is a community pillar, a model of sustainable leadership, and a true advocate for Idaho agriculture.”

Those who plan on attending should bring a dish to share and RSVP at upperbigwoodriverid192@grange.org.