A couple of large events this month brought farmers back together for the first time in a long time. First, it was the Indiana Farm Bureau annual convention in French Lick and then the Indiana Farm Equipment & Technology Expo held at Westfield’s Grand Park last week.
“Obviously, it’s great to be back and actually see people in person, but…” says Tippecanoe County farmer Kevin Underwood who serves on the Indiana Farm Bureau Board of Directors.
He told HAT that while the conversations were great to have in person, many of the conversations revolved around worry for this coming planting season.
“Input costs are extremely concerning when you look at all the supply chain issues. In fact, in one of the little breaks here I had a little bit ago I was looking at a contract for some nitrogen for next year and you’re just looking at the price tag and just going, ‘Wow. How are we going to make all this pencil out?’ So, those are obviously the biggest concerns that I think most people have weighing on their minds right now.”
As far as nitrogen is concerned, Underwood says, “The prices that we’ve been looking at are probably 40 to 50 percent higher than they were a year ago. Fortunately, we’ve had a longstanding relationship with a local supplier and that has kind of put us in the doorway to where we’re at least relatively high in the lineup of getting that supply that they’ve got kind of booked and already in stock.
Also of concern is the limited availability and increased cost of herbicides for next season.
“Especially with the changes and the shifting that we’ve seen in terms of weed pressures. And we’ve even seen a lot in terms of the different diseases that we’re seeing coming into crops. So, we’re trying to figure out, ‘Okay, what do we need to be doing as far as shifting and changing of our weed control programs, in terms of our fungicide programs?’ Those are costs that we’re not necessarily incorporating into what we’re looking at even with respect to when we think about fertilizer. So, it’s definitely a big, big concern as we go forward.”
Underwood says outside of discussions regarding next year, other conversations revolved around priorities for Indiana Farm Bureau and larger philosophical questions prompted by policy coming out of D.C. Hear more in the full HAT interview with Underwood below.