After years of discussion, the Idaho Wheat Commission (IWC) is moving forward with its new $14 million Idaho Wheat and Ag Center. The old building was demolished in December, with construction set to begin this spring and completion expected by spring 2026.

At 31,000 square feet, the new structure will be nearly four times larger than the previous building, which had stood since 1945. IWC Executive Director Britany Hurst Marchant explained that maintaining the old facility had become costly.

“It had just reached a point where significant investment was necessary just to maintain functionality and update heating, cooling, wiring, and safety components,” she said. “After evaluating all of the options, it was very clear that a new building was the most fiscally responsible way to meet the needs of the Idaho Wheat Commission and be responsible stewards of wheat growers’ dollars.”

IWC member and Rockland farmer Cory Kress echoed the decision. “We just needed to build a new building,” he said. “We decided to maximize our space availability and build it as big as we could.”

The previous building housed multiple agricultural organizations, including the Idaho Barley Commission, Idaho Grain Producers Association, and the Idaho Wine Commission. It also served as a key meeting hub for Idaho’s agricultural industry.

“The old building has served us and the industry very well,” said North Idaho wheat farmer and former IWC Commissioner Bill Flory. “It’s a meeting place for the industry, and the wheat commission has always been generous with meeting space.”

Marchant hopes this collaboration will continue. “Having that collaboration and camaraderie between each of the groups is so valuable,” she said. “We may approach issues differently, but we’re all working toward the same end goal.”

The new four-story building will include retail or active-use space on the ground floor, office space on the second and third floors, and expanded meeting spaces on the top floor.

“Everything’s bigger,” Marchant said. “We increased the size of the meeting rooms and added more so we can accommodate large, medium, and small groups.”

The project had been delayed for years due to various factors, including COVID-19, but now, construction is officially moving forward.