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Input prices remain top of mind as farmer plans for 2023

Uncertainty about the price and availability of inputs is top of mind for farmers preparing for the 2023 growing season.

Kate Huffman, who farms corn and soybean near Galva, Illinois in Henry County tells Brownfield farmers have already faced two years of record high prices for inputs like fertilizer.

“It’s definitely a scary thing. As prices continue to climb, interest rates also continue to climb and where does it stop?”

She says regardless of the price, they are not cutting corners on fertility as they order fertilizer for 2023.

“We are a big believer in fertilizer so we are still putting all the fertilizer down that we need to grow a great crop because if you don’t provide the nutrients, your crop is not going to be as good as you want it to be.”

Huffman says it’s also a tough time to market. “It has been for several years. There is no real rhyme or reason anymore. So, we are just trying to market and do the best we possibly can for the ground and for the future.”

Huffman is a Henry County Farm Bureau board member and spoke to Brownfield during the 2022 Illinois Farm Bureau Annual Meeting earlier this month.