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Challenges for the 2023 growing season

Iowa’s Ag Secretary says he’s optimistic about the 2023 growing season despite some lingering challenges.

Mike Naig says drought continues to impact parts of the Midwest and Plains. “We’ve had really three years of very dry conditions,” he said. “We’ve seen some historically wet conditions through the winter months, so we are all hopeful that will carry over into the growing season. I think that’s big on people’s minds.”

He tells Brownfield input costs are another concern. “We’ve seen fertilizer prices come down and we’ve seen energy prices come down,” Naig said. “They are still too high, but we’re headed in the right direction.”

Naig says producers are still dealing with some supply chain disruptions.