This is an excerpt from Director Chinn’s article in the Missouri Ruralist Magazine.
Green grass. Newborn calves. Tractors and planters rolling across freshly plowed soil. As agriculturalists, we love these signs of spring.
Unfortunately, Missouri’s farmers and ranchers face challenges this spring before they ever put a seed in the ground. High fertilizer and fuel costs are adding to an already difficult time as farmers struggle to secure inputs and equipment.
These challenges might leave some producers asking if they should even plant in 2022. I encourage you to keep the faith.
The farming community has proven time and again that we are resilient.
When there is a flood, we clean up and replant. When a calf dies, we rebreed. Now, we face another obstacle, but we must keep pushing forward.
Farmers and ranchers must continue to produce the same quality products, whether protein or plant, so that we receive the most return possible on the investment. We produce more with less every year. The efficiencies of the American farmer are tremendous. That will be key as producers manage risk in 2022.
There is no way to know how long fertilizer prices will remain at double, and triple in some areas, the price of last year. Thankfully, crude oil prices leveled off in mid-March. I hope those prices will continue to drop in April.
Spring is here. It’s time to plant; time to make breeding decisions. I encourage you to keep the faith. Missouri is positioned to play an even larger role in feeding and fueling the world.
Perhaps Will Rogers said it best: “The farmer has to be an optimist, or he wouldn’t still be a farmer.”
Read the full article at farmprogress.com.
