Surface water users in the Magic Valley may have noticed this letter in their mailbox from Surface Water Coalition that was included with their Twin Falls Canal Company newsletter.
This letter is yet another attempt by the Big Ag to defame conservative legislators Sen. Glenneda Zuiderveld, Sen. Josh Kohl, Rep. Clint Hostetler and Rep. David Leavitt.
The letter claims that because these legislators voted against SB 1304 during the 2026 legislative session, which would have “strengthened water delivery infrastructure”, these four legislators have “turned their backs on our operations” and are “against water and against agriculture.”
That they voted no is true. The rest is pure fiction.
As Sen. Glenneda Zuiderveld points out in her Substack, and SWC fails to mention:
I voted no because there is no true accountability tied to that funding. There was discussion about making it a one-time appropriation and revisiting it the following year to ensure proper oversight and measurable results. That proposal was rejected by the workgroup.
More:
At the same time, I learned we are already sitting on nearly $400 million allocated to water projects that have yet to move forward. Parking hundreds of millions of dollars in reserves does nothing to address the water challenges we face today.
Then there’s the attempt by WinAg PAC to mislead voters about our Magic Valley’s legislator’s 2026 voting record on water…
The Money Machine Behind WinAG PAC
In 2024, WinAg PAC’s largest reported donor was Far West Agribusiness Association, a Weiser‑based regional trade group for fertilizer, agrichemical, and big‑agribusiness interests across Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and Utah. FWAA is not a local family‑farm co‑op; it is a 501(c)(6) across five states, representing more than a hundred corporate members in inputs, crop protection, and distribution.
Its board includes executives from Bayer Crop Science, J.R. Simplot, Nutrien, CHS, Helena, Valley Agronomics, and other large players. Read more.
In other words, WinAg’s money is coming from a professional lobbying arm for large agribusiness and chemical companies whose priority is protecting their business model across the region—not from family operations in Jerome and Twin Falls. WinAg PAC is not made up of Idahoans. Rather, they pool money into local races to pick winners and losers.
Did WinAg PAC’s dishonest messaging win them this endorsement of Sen. Josh Kohl’s opponent, Casey Swensen?
VOTE TUESDAY, MAY 19
- Early voting is from April 27-May 15.
- If you must vote early, vote as late as possible.
- DO NOT mail your ballot.
- DO NOT use a drop box.
- Same day registration is allowed with photo ID and proof of residence.
