As harvest arrives in Southeast Missouri, our agricultural producers face challenges

This is a back-to-school season, a tailgating season, a pre-holiday season.

It’s also harvest season.

Farmers have begun cutting their corn and rice fields. Soybeans and cotton will come next.

The crops look to be pretty good. U.S. Department of Agriculture reports indicate the region’s row crops are close to historical averages, with this year’s wheat crop being especially strong while the cotton crop may be a bit below standard.

As important as the quality of the crop, though, is the price producers can fetch. That’s where the not-great news begins.

According to AgWeb’s daily commodity markets Wednesday, Sept. 11, corn was trading for about $3.80 a bushel. That number is just about where it was in September 2015. The same goes for other crops grown in this area: soybeans, $9.79 per bushel ($10.25 in 2015); rice, $15.36 per hundredweight ($11.50 in 2015); and cotton, $0.6931 per pound (about 60 cents in 2015).

Of course, the prices farmers get for their crops vary because of many factors, but, overall, ag commodity prices aren’t rising at the same pace of input costs over time. Slowing demand in key overseas markets is one reason. Good yields across the United States is also depressing prices.

Meanwhile, input costs continue to go up, up, up. Thankfully, urea (fertilizer) costs have come down significantly after a spike a couple of years ago, but equipment costs remain high.

In other words, our farmers are facing tough economic times.

Ranchers are facing many of those same challenges. The horizon is a little brighter for them. Forecasters expect demand to be strong in coming years, even if prices are volatile.

Thing is, our farmers and ranchers have been there before.

Being a farmer means hard work, using every bit of hard-earned knowledge and experience, and hoping for good weather. Then, they’re at the mercy of the markets.

Over time, ag income margins have shrunk. At the same time, technology is helping producers wring every efficiency out of their operations. They are able to use tools not available to past generations. They need all of them.

So, as harvest moves into high gear in Southeast Missouri, we hope for bumper crops and higher prices. We also hope all our neighbors have a safe harvest.

One last thing … Thank you to all the men and women who put food on our table and clothes on our back.