Farming more than what is seen on surface

opinions

September 20, 2017 - 12:00 AM

With ample rainfall, generous sunshine and absence of adverse weather such as hail and windstorms, the life of a Kansas farmer doesn’t get much better. Or does it?
Let’s not forget prices paid for crops at harvest time, when they often drop, not only because of what is coming from Kansas fields but also those in other farm belt states; even from other countries that have seized on ag technology to boost yields to exportable levels.
Corn is a staple in southeast Kansas, but soybean crops put bread and butter on the table and make it possible for Joe Farmer to replace equipment and meet everyday obligations that we all have.
So, it is disheartening when a farmer looks at a field of robust soybeans to find worms feasting on leaves. Or, notices a patch where plants are dying for no apparent reason, possibly from sudden death syndrome, a soybean enemy that is relatively new to the lexicon of farmers.
SDS is caused by fungal spores that attack tap roots. The first overt appearance is yellow spots, usually on upper leaves, that form a mosaic. Results vary, but may include severe retardation that causes flowers and pods to abort, and beans not to mature as well as anticipated.
Pesticide sprayed aerially or from booms attached to high-wheel implements is successful in dealing with worms, and other critters that find fine dining in soybean fields. Add a fungicide to the spray and SDS, as well as several other forms of related infestations, are removed from the inventory of natural soybean enemies.
Where does this leave farmers in their annual effort to make a profit?
Spraying may cost as much as $40 an acre, depending on delivery and effectiveness. In the best of years that is equivalent of what four or five bushels of beans will fetch at the elevator.
Add to that cost of seed, fertilizer, fuel and equipment depreciation and we’re at the bottom line. Right? Not quite. A farmer also has to amortize insurance costs, taxes and cost of land itself, either through ownership or lease agreement.
What this all means is that in the best of years the profit margin is not as great as casual observers in coffee shop roundups might think.
Consequently, when farmers talk about soybean yields of 40 or 50 bushels an acre, quite good most years, and prices of $8 to $10 a bushel, they are not describing a path to unbridled wealth.
However, most farmers in business today are well-founded in what they do, and plan ahead to cope with financial valleys and not get too excited when all comes together in a peak year — otherwise they wouldn’t be farming.
Also, when someone rails about federal subsidies farmers receive, set them straight. Those who derive greatest value from federal support are consumers, in the form of cheaper food prices than what is found in most other nations. Also, it should be noted, more than half of the farm bill subsidies flow to  the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or, to put it in common context, food stamps.

— Bob Johnson

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