2008 was stressful year for local, state farmers
By TOM BERRY
Staff Writer
Summer drought along with untimely drenching rain and high winds during the fall left most area farmers with a stunted harvest for 2008, but growers are optimistic that Mother Nature will come through in 2009.
Airport Road farmer Danny Cunningham said this year's yield was better than last, but nothing to write home about.
“We had a little better year than last year, but not a real good year,” Cunningham said. “Price helped us a little bit, but yieldwise we're still not seeing real good yields. A little too much dry weather.
“I've never seen two droughts in a row, but it showed us that it can happen.”
A soggy spring and summer drought followed by high winds and rain from Hurricane Ike during harvest had many farmers expecting a bad season this year. However the forecast was a little premature. The harvest was better than expected for most growers in western Kentucky and across the state although some did suffer, according to an Associated Press report.
Squire Holland Road farmer Donnie Overbey said inconsistent rain withered much of the local crops.
“It wasn't that bad a crop, but it wasn't the best one we've ever had,” Overbey said. “If you were in a spot where you got some rain you did pretty good, but if you didn't get any rain, you didn't.”
Overbey says he's now taking some time to get his land cleared from the storm and leveling ground for better production next year.
“Some people may be putting down fertilizer, but I don't think many this year,” he said. “We're doing some leveling and cleaning up a lot of trees from that high wind with a backhoe. A lot of years we don't get to do that, but it's been dry so that's what we're doing now.”
Todd Powell, extension agent for agriculture for Calloway County, said this morning that yields this year were about the same as last.
“I think most were happy, but yields were across the board,” Powell said. “It's kind of a repeat of last year. Not as bad as last year, but with the drought and everything I think most were happy with what they ended up with.”
According to reports, farms in neighboring Graves County averaged about 145 bushels an acre for corn and 33 bushels for soybeans; below typical yields but not disastrous.
“Everybody was pleasantly surprised,” said Kenny Perry, Graves agricultural extension agent. Perry said delayed planting caused by too much rain in the spring probably cut yields there by about 20 bushels per acre.
Statistics were not available for Calloway County; however corn yielded 133 bushels per acre statewide, slightly below the five-year average, according to Kentucky's National Agricultural Statistics field office. But the yield was the smallest in six-years. Output was down 16 percent from last year.
Soybean production for 2008 was forecast at 47.3 million bushels, up 56 percent from 2007. Yield is projected at 34 bushels per acre, up 6 1/2 bushels.
For livestock producers, the summer drought stunted pastures and reduced alfalfa production, forcing many to dip into hay supplies early. A move that may leave them in a tough position this winter.
Kentucky producers will also face several economic challenges in 2009 that could affect obtaining bank loans. The possible lack of funding will certainly impact decisions concerning which crops to grow next year.
“It is a very stressful time in agriculture. We're in new territory,” said Rick Costin, a Kentucky farm business management specialist at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture. “Each individual situation is different. Farmers will have to make decisions based on their production history, market prices and input costs. One size does not fit all.”
However loans are available. Costin said many farmers tend to apply for loans at smaller, community banks that were not affected as badly by the subprime mortgage crisis. But farmers should know that financial institutions will be tightening lending practices and becoming more conservative by seeking more security from producers.
A volatile market and input costs have also raised questions among producers over whether to grow corn or soybeans in 2009.
“When selecting a crop, I encourage farmers to do budgets for each but be prepared to change their budgets weekly, and maybe even daily, as commodity prices and input costs continue to fluctuate,” Costin said. “A few weeks ago, soybeans looked liked they would be more profitable to grow than corn, but that may not be the case if input costs drop.”
Story created Nov 20, 2008 - 14:07:31 EST.
|
