When corporate expansion projects announced in Idaho in 2025 are tallied, two companies with existing operations in the state will top the list for capital investment outlay. Micron Technology is moving forward with plans to establish a second memory fabrication plant in Boise as part of a $200 billion investment announced in June. Dairy food producer Chobani is investing $500 million to expand its Twin Falls facility by 500,000 sq. ft. In 2016, the company invested $100 million to boost production.
Smaller communities, too, are seeing capital invested, particularly in the food processing sector; agribusiness and food processing are among the Gem State’s top industries. Jerome, north of Twin Falls, has a population of under 15,000, for example. It’s the location Idaho Milk Products chose for a $200 million ice cream and powder blending plant under construction that’s set to open in May 2026. Ice cream is a new business line for the company.
Rupert, Idaho (pop. 6,400), is 45 miles east of Twin Falls on Interstate 84. It’s where Mart Frozen Foods recently opened a 100,000-sq.-ft. plant for producing frozen baked potatoes. The $65 million project, with 80 new jobs, is expected to have an $11 million annual economic impact and will be a key destination for the state’s many potato farmers. Growing potatoes in Idaho in 2025 occupies about 313,000 acres, according to the Idaho Potato Commission.
A Dairy Research Center Takes Shape
Rupert also is where the University of Idaho is building a new research facility, the Idaho Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (CAFE), which is scheduled to open in early 2026.
CAFE will specialize in five areas: animal-related and environmental research; agronomic research; food science research; outreach and education; and workforce development. The university says it will be the largest research dairy in the U.S. and “will allow researchers to address critical challenges facing the industry, utilizing larger herd sizes that better reflect the realities of today’s dairy industry in Idaho.”
Idaho is the fourth largest milk-producing state in the U.S, according to the Idaho Dairymen’s Association (IDA), and it’s home to more than 350 dairy operations. The industry supports 33,000 jobs and generates nearly $11 billion in sales annually. By IDA’s count, Idaho is home to roughly 692,000 milk cows. People? About 2 million.
All those dairy farms and potato-growing acres require a healthy supply of agriculture equipment. Tractor Supply Company picked Nampa, 20 miles west of Boise on Interstate 84, for an 865,000-sq.-ft. distribution center to serve its 12 stores in Idaho and others in the Pacific Northwest. The nearly $225 million project will support more than 500 new jobs, according to the company.
Map courtesy of Idaho Potato Commission
