Iowa State University Extension officials plan to host a series of meetings around the state in January for farmers trying to figure out how to deal with sliding commodity prices and rising production costs.
“With margins being as low or as negative as they are, we’re going to focus on that,” says ISU Extension agronomist Joel DeJong.
The “Crop Advantage” meetings will offer advice on managing farm chemical applications, for example.
“What are the odds of applying fertilizer based on different soil test levels?” DeJong asks rhetorically. “You know, it’s a biological system, so we’re all trying to figure the odds and the environment changes.”
Farm income in 2015 is projected to fall to its lowest level in nine years and the U-S-D-A predicts farm income will fall even lower in 2016. There is a $50 registration fee for farmers who want to attend the “Crop Advantage” meetings next month and get advice from ISU economists, agronomists, entomologists and grain market analysts. ISU Extension will hold 14 meetings around the state during January. The first is January 5 in Sheldon.
Registration information is here.
(Reporting by Dennis Morrice, KLEM, Le Mars)