2013 LOGAN COUNTY FARM OUTLOOK MAGAZINE LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.com October 25, 2013 Page 13
nonexistent. Beans began to dry earlier than expected
in the fields, and the size of the crop was less than
hoped for in many areas.
Corn harvested three weeks later, in the middle of
October, showed that the crop had dried down only
about 2 percent, to 21. Killer frosts continue to be
delayed (a killer frost prevents the further drying of
corn in the fields because the tissues in the corn plant
for moving moisture are damaged or destroyed), and
strips of corn in the fields
continue to stay green.
A possible explanation for
this apparent failure to dry
in the fields is that the very
same characteristics that
make drought-tolerant corn
excellent during drought years
also cause the plant and, more
important, the kernels to hold
on to moisture and dry more
slowly. The result is added
cost to dry the harvested corn.
Altogether, higher input costs
and lower sale prices translate
to lower profits per acre for the producer.
A contingent of Logan County farmers got together
in 2005 in an attempt to increase the local market
for corn with the development of an ethanol plant
in the county. A local ethanol production facility
would give local producers another outlet for their
corn crop and would likely increase the profit
margin for participating farmers. This valiant effort
to increase profits came to a screeching halt late in
2011, mostly due to the protests by Logan County
residents who resisted locating the ethanol plant in
their “backyards,” followed by the shrinking federal
ethanol subsidy, making the success of the ethanol
production facility doubtful.
This failure to locate a local competing outlet for the
corn crop left Logan County producers at the mercy
of the Chicago market and large-scale buyers, ADM
and Cargill.
Input costs are likely to continue to climb as new
challenges are presented
to producers. Production
will follow the weather and
climate trends, sometimes
making Logan County
producers the winners in
the competition to grow a
larger-than-usual crop when
producers in other regions
fall below their norm, and
sometimes making Logan
County producers the losers
in the production competition.
Costs at the point of sale will
likely continue to rise as new
legislation calls for more
testing for safety and further
restricts the sale of damaged corn.
These and other challenges have made the selling
price and costs to market a game changer.
Perhaps the most adequate answer is another attempt
to develop more diverse and local markets for corn
and beans, or diversify the crop with specialty food
crops to local markets.
Either way, being a producer today is a very
challenging job.
