Gifts of Land

Gifts of Land

We know how important your land is — it’s more than just acres, it’s a part of you and your family. One way to preserve that land and sustain it into the future is through a charitable gift of land to the University of Idaho.

A gift of land, either outright or through your estate plans, provides a unique opportunity to see that your land has a direct impact, benefiting students and faculty at the University of Idaho while continuing your legacy. Donating farmland or ranch property is one method to help the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences reach their full potential in achieving our land-grant mission.

Many of our greatest accomplishments as a college are made possible through the philanthropy of our alumni, donors and friends. A donation of land has lasting impact on not only our students and faculty, but on the future of agriculture in our state, region and country.

For more information, contact Melinda Jean Stafford at 208-364-4617 or melindas@uidaho.edu.

Gift of land grows commodity risk management program

Kyle Wilson, a third-generation farmer who spent his life tilling his family’s crops in the Tom Beall area near Lapwai, considered his land kin. Now, with the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences serving as trustee of part of Kyle’s farm (McCormack Ridge), the university is managing the property with a similar mindset — as if it were the next generation of family responsible for its sustainability.

Wilson requested that the university maintain his land as a working farm. U of I has upheld the lease that Wilson had made with a local Vandal family when he decided to retire from farming. Brothers John, Jared and Ryan Schwartz are all CALS graduates and raise wheat, barley, canola and peas on the farm.

Beneficiaries from the lease agreement are students and faculty in CALS’ agricultural economics program, from which Wilson was a graduate in 1981. Specifically, the donation helped advance a partnership between CALS and the College of Business and Economics to develop a certificate and minor in agricultural commodity risk management. This program prepares students for reading the fluctuating regional and global market of agricultural products in order to manage investments wisely.

When Wilson’s grandfather purchased land in the Tom Beall area south of the Clearwater River in the 1930s, and additional land on McCormack Ridge in the 1950s, he dug in and began growing the region’s staples — barley, wheat, peas and lentils. He also ran a cattle operation on additional timberland near Winchester. Wilson maintained the farming tradition until his death in 2015. As a loyal U of I supporter, Wilson knew he wanted to endow part of the farmland to U of I when the time came.

“University of Idaho and the Sigma Nu Fraternity were incredibly important institutions in Kyle’s life. He was tremendously dedicated to both,” said Kyle’s brother, Blair. “Our dad, Peter K. Wilson, was a U of I graduate and a long-time contributor to U of I’s Steer-A-Year Program. When Kyle, our sister Mary K., and I were at U of I, our parents were always there for Parents’ Weekend and homecoming events. Kyle wanted a portion of his estate to benefit the College of Ag-Life Sciences as well as the entire university.”

In addition to being a steward of his own land, Wilson served as an elected official on the Nez Perce Soil and Water Conservation District Board for 31 years. He advocated for the sustainable use of natural resources statewide. As the new steward of Wilson’s land, the University of Idaho plans to honor that legacy.

NMCREEC: Idaho’s gem classroom

The Nancy M. Cummings Research, Extension and Education Center, located in the heart of Idaho’s livestock country in Lemhi County near Salmon, is a place of discovery for western livestock producers and natural resource managers.

Operated by the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the center has undoubtedly provided numerous opportunities for students, faculty, staff and the community.

The center is a setting for environmental education for public school students; a site for research by scientists, undergraduate and graduate students; and an opportunity for clinical experiences by veterinary students. Cattle producers and other members of the public visit the center for educational programs on many topics.

The Auen Foundation of Palm Desert, California, generously donated the 1,100-acre center to the university in 2005 to honor the late Nancy Cummings’ love for the Salmon River Valley, her entrepreneurial spirit, and her desire to expand educational horizons for the valley’s residents. Named after the mother of The Auen Foundation’s Program Director, Sherrie Auen, the center dutifully carries on the lifelong wish of Nancy Cummings — providing educational opportunities to others, including residents of the Salmon River Valley. The center operates as Idaho’s primary cow-calf and forage research station, providing land and facilities for beef cattle research at the scale of a working ranch.

The center also provides continuing education for people associated with the livestock industry and learning opportunities for U of I students. Center researchers conduct animal and environmental studies to benefit the livestock industry of the Intermountain West and beyond.

Research and Extension efforts at the center have included pioneering studies on animal identification systems, genetic improvement, reproductive efficiency, forage production and grazing practices.

A hands-on facility for education, undergraduate and graduate students are active in the calving, neonatal calf health, pre-breeding heifer exams, bull breeding soundness exams and pregnancy diagnosis, winter feeding strategies, vaccination programs and weaned calf healthcare at the center.

The Nancy M. Cummings Research, Extension and Education Center has made a significant impact on the study of animal and veterinary science — with research conducted here benefiting the current and future industry’s best practices in ag science for the nation’s cattle producers.

Deerkop land endowment provides real world experiences

For nearly five decades, Robert and Alveena Deerkop of Harvard, helped families put food on their tables—specifically, Angus certified beef from their Aberdeen cattle. There are few causes more noble than supplying such sustenance. Helping college students achieve their ambitions comes close, though. And the Deerkops, with their endowment legacy, have done that, too. With the sale of their land, the Deerkops endowed scholarships worth $3.2 million to University of Idaho College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) students determined to make a difference in their field.

CALS graduates go on to find solutions to the world’s most critical challenges in order to create and sustain an abundant food and energy supply, a healthy environment and successful families and communities. The Robert and Alveena Scholarship Endowment, which allows students to gain real world experience in their field, furthers this mission.

The state’s land-grant university clearly held a special place in the Deerkops’ hearts. Robert was born and raised in Latah County, and he attended U of I in the late 1930s before entering the U.S. Army. Alveena, a public servant in her own right, was a member of the Women’s Royal Australian Naval Service during World War II. The couple married in 1962 and farmed between Palouse, Washington and Potlatch before settling in the small farming community of Harvard. Robert raised cattle until his death in 2008.

Thanks to the Deerkops’ generosity, U of I students will no doubt go on to achieve similar greatness, advancing the health and welfare of people, animals and the environment in the spirit of growing the Vandal family.