Some Minnesota farmers are choosing to sit out this planting season as rising fuel and fertilizer costs make the numbers harder to justify. Even with strong spring field conditions, the economics are pushing some landowners to lease their acres out instead of farming them themselves. One Minnesota farm advocate said some growers could spend as much as $900 an acre to plant corn and only bring back about $800, turning a year of work into a loss. He also said he is seeing a similar pattern in cattle, with some producers leaving feedlots empty because the costs no longer make sense.
Why This Matters:
This is what pressure on the food system looks like before it shows up at the store. When farmers start skipping planting season and cattle producers stop filling feedlots, supply gets tighter before most families ever see the warning signs. That pressure does not stay on the farm. It moves into grain, feed, meat, and food prices. The families who build their food supply before those pressures hit harder put themselves in a much stronger position.
Read the full article here.
Source: CBS Minnesota
By: John Lauritsen
