March 28, 2024

High input costs loom large after harvest

Input prices on things like chemicals or fertilizer are the highest they’ve been in a long time, and that’s one of the biggest concerns of area farmers coming out of the 2021 harvest season.

“They’re off the charts,” said Doug Holliday, an Adair County farmer based east of Greenfield. “Fertilizer’s off the charts and availability is an issue on the chemical side. That appears that it’s going to be an issue. We pretty well have ours all tied up, but it appears that chemical availability could be an issue.”

In terms of quality, average yield and duration, Holliday said this year’s harvest was successful.

The latest USDA Crops and Conditions Report says that nearly all of the corn for grain has been harvested. Southern Iowa lagged behind the rest of the state a tad in progress but is nearing the finish line.

Holliday liked what he saw while harvesting both soybeans and corn this season.

Generally dry conditions prevailed, which helped producers with progress. Yields and quality were at average or just above average on Holliday’s farms, while he estimates more northern parts of Adair County were slightly better.

“Out east of Greenfield we were a little drier, so average to a little bit above. Right now, it looks like it’s going to be a nice dry, open winter,” Holliday said, adding it would be nice to have a little more moisture to put in the proverbial “bank” before winter.

On a wider scale, ISU Extension Field Agronomist Aaron Saeugling said farmers are generally “thankful” at the end of this harvest.

“It’s one of those years that, for the most part, things were in pretty good shape. Yields were better than expected. That was a pleasant surprise, and commodity prices are favorable,” Saeugling said. “While October had a little bit of a delay, we were thankful to get a little recharge of our subsoil moisture. Going into winter we’re in pretty good shape. The focus now for growers is trying to manage input cost. People are going to have to get their pencil out and be pretty sharp. That’s kind of the story at the moment.”

Caleb Nelson

Caleb Nelson

Caleb Nelson has served as News Editor of the Adair County Free Press and Fontanelle Observer since Oct. 2017. He and his wife Kilee live in Greenfield. In Greenfield and the greater Adair County area, he values the opportunity to tell peoples' stories, enjoys playing guitar, following all levels of sports, and being a part of his local church.