2020 Fall Farm Outlook

PAGE 4 2020 Logan County Farm Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS October 28, 2020 T he year 2020 has certainly been a year we will never forget, and hope to never repeat. The top three news stories have repeated for much of the year thus far, just changing in the order presented. The year for agriculture has certainly been one to repeat on some of the major topics as well. Weather is usually the top story for the year in agriculture. It once again repeats in my opinion. The spring brought us many rain events in April and May, with me recording 31 rain events for those two months at my house. Granted, about a third of them were less than a tenth of an inch, but the two month total precipitation was still almost 12.5 inches. We also had a sudden hard freeze in April, which caught some of the earliest planted crops, and affected some of our fruit tree blooms as well. Markets, and market access, has been another major news story for agriculture. Prices have been up, down, and all- around as trade news and export sales have greatly affected markets. The Covid-19 virus has certainly had its impacts as well. The pandemic has greatly affected economies of countries, companies, and individuals. In many respects, the pandemic limited sales and prices. Lately, there has been upward movement in grain markets as countries are looking to secure supplies if another wave of the pandemic disrupts market and transportation channels. Transportation of commodities has always given the United States a comparative advantage for exports in the past. Our country has an integrated transportation system of water, rail, and highway which makes transportation of bulk goods very efficient – when all the pieces are working well together. Fall Farm Outlook Intro Ag Consultant John Fulton CONTINUE X