Farmers experience strong harvest, low prices

For many farmers, this year’s harvest can be considered a bin-buster, with near-record yields. But to every story, there are two sides.

Billy Baudler, whose farm is based north of Fontanelle, said he estimates harvest is 90% complete in this immediate area. Brian Jones, whose farm is based east of Greenfield, talked along the same lines.

Both farmers were still harvesting late last week, but they were on the home stretch.

The good news is that conditions were nearly optimal for a lot of farmers in Adair County. Weather, the crop itself and yields were all very good.

“It’s always wonderful to have super dry conditions while harvesting, which we did. We’ve gotten some moisture recently, but very few times during harvest is it that dry and very few times have we gone [as many days as we did] where there was only one small rain event,” Baudler said. “That’s nice because you get a lot done. It kind of wears you out, but that aspect was great.”

Baudler said his yields weren’t at a record level like he witnessed last year, but they were still very good.

“You don’t have to go very far north or south and I think there are some guys who would say they did have record yields. It can vary within a few miles,” he said. “It was a good overall fall with good yields. I can’t complain.”

Jones said he thinks that one reason harvest went so well is that planting also went well. From his perspective, that and other factors led to some of his farm ground he considers to be poorer performing very well.

Jones also agreed progress was brisk.

“There are some years where every field you get to you’re pushing it on its readiness for harvest, which always adds a little bit of additional stress. Sometimes if crops don’t mature very quickly it adds to the logistics of where you want to go next,” Jones said, speaking about soybeans — but corn was the same way.

Jones said he isn’t sure many farmers in the area have ever combined corn as dry as this year’s was. This led to a cost saving on propane because very little drying was needed.

All this good news is balanced with a concern of low prices. Jones said he’s certain he’s not the only farmer concerned about it. The low prices has meant good yields were needed all the more because even with them, farmers could struggle to break even.

An outdated Farm Bill, which is a document passed by federal legislators to set rules that the entire agricultural industry plays by, has been delayed after it was originally set to expire Sept. 30, 2023. The document, which governs food and agricultural programs, was extended another year and expired this September. This is one player in the lower prices.

Another factor is that the Farm Bill, first passed in 2018, was written pre-pandemic.

“I think farmers are just trying to know what rules we’re operating under,” Jones said. “We maybe don’t like the outcome [if it changes] but we just need to know what the outcome is, then we’re able to operate within the guidelines and make decisions based on what’s coming.”

Jones said one hold up in the approval of a new Farm Bill is how much of it goes toward food assistance programs. Funding these programs comprises 80% of the current Farm Bill. Some say this leaves very little of the package relating directly to actual farming. Iowa Public Radio reported that 41 million Americans rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program monthly, making it a vital component of the Farm Bill.

Back to the here and now of harvest, looking into the winter and the next growing season, Baudler said that more moisture is always welcome, though fields have absorbed a little moisture in the last three weeks after a long dry spell dated back to the end of summer. The Nov. 5 U.S. Drought Monitor showed most of Adair County in a D0 (Abnormally Dry) state, with the western edge in D1 Moderate Drought.

“After a long stretch of dry conditions that allowed harvest to proceed without much interruption, measurable rainfall finally arrived last week and stayed through the weekend in much of the state. For Iowa farmers still finishing harvest and other field work, the moisture may temporarily delay progress. However, it will also provide the added benefits of reducing dust, decreasing fire risk and helping to replenish our dry soils, waterways and pastures,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig Nov. 4. “For the many farmers who have seeded cover crops or are planning to do so, the rain also provided a much needed boost toward getting them established. As we look ahead to the next two weeks, outlooks continue to show better chances of warmer temperatures and more rain.”