Local farmers warn that this spring and summer’s poor crop conditions will lead to higher prices for food, meaning the conditions impact everyone’s life, whether you farm or not.
During the final full week of July, 1.3 million acres of Indiana corn was in poor or very poor condition – the third highest amount of acreage in that condition in the nation.
The law of supply and demand likely means higher prices for grain – the main cost of raising livestock and poultry – as well as corn.
“I think people need to get prepared,” Sandcreek Township farmer Mel Lykins said. “You are going to see some high prices for food.”
The wettest 12 months on record in the continental U.S. placed many American farmers far behind on planting this spring, giving crops less time to reach full maturity and upping the risk that an early frost could kill them off.
Federal agriculture experts estimate that only 57 percent of the national corn crop was in good or excellent condition at the end of July, down from 75 percent at that time last year.
A few months ago, heavy rains kept the hay used for animal feed so wet it could not be cut or properly bailed, said Jenny Vogel, district conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service in North Vernon.
As a result, many south central Indiana hay producers are now finishing their first cutting at a time they would normally be having a second cutting, Vogel said.
For more on this story, see Wednesday’s Republic.
