The dryness that began settling in last summer has forced producers to make a series of adjustments, from cutting corn early to shipping cattle ahead of schedule. It’s also forcing them to rely increasingly on insurance payments just to get by.
Scott Jones of Frontier Farm Credit is now having daily conversations with producers across the KVOE listening area.
Jones says he has had to “zero out” some crops across the area. Corn conditions get worse the further north you go, and he says ongoing dry conditions will impact beans soon if things don’t turn around. He also tells KVOE News it’s conditions like these that highlight the need for insurance.
Jones also says there’s a common misconception that insurance gives producers a lot of money above and beyond operating costs.
It’s too late to get coverage for this year, but some producers have increased their coverage for upcoming years. And as Congress continues work on a new five-year Farm Bill, Jones urged lawmakers to keep crop insurance as a key component.
Jones says the drought may be conspiring with low commodity prices and new tariffs to give farmers and ranchers a sense that they won’t “get over the hump,” but he also says producers realize the economic cycle will indeed turn around.
Besides insurance, Jones also guided ag operators to contact their local USDA Farm Service Agency offices for supplemental programs that could help them get through this rough time.
KVOE News prior coverage
*Monday, July 23: State climatologist Mary Knapp
*Tuesday, July 24: Jacquelyne Leffler, Americus
*Wednesday, July 25: Brian Keith, Allen
*Thursday, July 26: Scott Briggs, Reading
