http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wium/local-wium-953567.mp3
Keokuk, IA – 2010 was a year filled with ups and downs for grain farmers in southeast Iowa, northeast Missouri, and west-central Illinois.
The planting season started off warm and dry before several weeks of rain washed away seeds and fertilizers.
Bob Dodds with Iowa State University Extension says things did get better during last year's harvest, which raises his optimism for 2011.
He says his optimism also comes from the current commodity prices, specifically corn and soybeans.
Early projects put corn at or above $5/bushel and soybeans at or above $12/bushel.
Melvin Brees with University of Missouri Extension says those prices create a very profitable environment for grain farmers. He says the key is to decide the best opportunity to sell, as opposed to waiting to top the market.
Brees says supply/demand could impact the market, especially with a growing need for corn and soybeans in this country.
Mike Duffy with Iowa State University Extension says acquiring additional land for corn and soybeans, beyond current acreages, could be difficult.
He says farmers purchase land for the long term and the prices should remain sky-high for some time.
Duffy says some farmland in west central Iowa recently sold for $8,000+/acre.
Farmers must do more than purchase the land. They must take care of it.
Dr. Gordon Roskamp is a WIU professor.
Roskamp says farmers must develop a year-to-year strategy for weed control to protect fields from a variety of weeds.
Tri-State area farmers do have control over the challenges mentioned so far.
They decide when to sell their crops, they decide whether to shell out a lot of money for farm land, and they decide how to protect their fields.
Other challenges are beyond their control: drought, flooding, successful overseas markets.
How well farmers in SEIA, NEMO, and WCIL adapt could determine whether the optimism many have for 2011 is justified.