2017 Fall Farm Outlook

2017 Logan County Fall Farm Outlook Magazine LINCOLN DAILY NEWS Oct. 25, 2017 Page 7 In operations with a large percentage of rented land, the land cost is what is presenting a squeeze. It has been widely reported Logan County had the highest cash rent in the state for the 2017 year, according to the Ag Statistics Service Survey. Logan County rent was $289 per acre according to the survey. The state average for excellent ground (producing at least 190 bushels per acre) was $264 per acre. The professionally managed ground rented higher at $305 per acre for excellent ground, as the farm manager gets paid to manage the ground. Simple math shows there is not enough income to pay the average rent figures in Logan County. Reducing costs, increasing yields, owning a percentage of the ground you farm, paying less than the average rent, or marketing to produce higher per bushel prices are all ways to try and make things work on grain farms. Livestock enterprises are experiencing many of the same elements as crop enterprises. Cattle prices remain strong, but have come off the higher levels seen in recent years. Returns remain higher on cow-calf production than finished cattle. Pork prices have been relatively stable, but flirt with the costs of production equal to or exceeding the income. Lower crop prices provide a lone decrease in cost of production, since feed makes up a large portion of the costs. Continued ►►