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Kansas farmer says fertilizer isn’t affordable, parts already backordered

A Central Kansas farmer says he’s managing risk differently for next year’s growing season because of high input costs and supply chain disruptions. 

“Increases in inputs are just ridiculous.”

Keith Miller, who farms nearly 10,000 acres, tells Brownfield he’ll likely shift acres from corn to soybeans. “We’re going to have to do something because we can’t afford the cost of fertilizer for as high as it is right now.”

He says he’s already stocking up on parts for next year because many were hard to find this fall. “I’ve already ordered the parts that I know that I need for my combine for the next summer harvest,” Miller says. “We’ve already got them order and some of them have already been on order for two months already.”

Miller says because there were shipping delays, he decided to fix the problem himself. “I’ve put more miles on my vehicles this summer than ever because we found that if you can get parts within 100 to 200 miles it’s better to just go get them.”

Miller grows corn, soybeans, alfalfa, sorghum and wheat in Barton County.