BOISE — A new Idaho law that takes effect July 1 aims to prevent people from using drones to spy on farmers and ranchers. A bill that has been signed into law by Gov. Butch Otter restricts people from using drones to spy on anyone but was crafted specifically with agriculture in mind, said its sponsor, Sen. Chuck Winder, R-Boise. It’s meant “to protect the agricultural community from unreasonable searches,” said the Idaho Senate’s assistant majority leader. The bill was widely supported by the state’s farming community, which sees increased drone use as inevitable but wants to ensure unmanned aerial vehicles aren’t used against them for nefarious purposes. “We want to make sure the private property of farming operations is protected and this piece of legislation does that,” said Food Producers of Idaho Vice President Roger Batt. Drones can do a lot of good, he added, “but it’s also nice to know farming operations are protected.” The new law prevents any person, entity or state agency from using a drone to conduct surveillance or observation of private property “without reasonable, articulable suspicion of criminal conduct.” The bill allows individuals to use drones to take pictures or video of their own property, which is important for the growing number of farmers who want to use that tool to improve their operations, said north Idaho farmer Robert Blair. Blair, who uses a drone aircraft to take high-resolution images of his crops, in 2006 became the first farmer in the country to own and use a drone aircraft. Farmers like him are exempted from the new law because “I’m flying over my own land. Pardon the pun, I’m under the radar,” he said. Former Idaho Attorney General Dave Leroy agreed with a policy expert from the American Civil Liberties Union that the Idaho law doesn’t clearly state that it applies to federal agencies. Even if it did, it could be struck down by a judge on the grounds of federal pre-emption, a doctrine upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court that state laws are invalid when they conflict with federal laws, said ACLU Policy Strategist Allie Bohm. If it is tested in court on that issue, “it would be interesting to see what a court says,” Bohm said.