ALLEN COUNTY, OH (WLIO) - Farming is always a gamble, but Allen County farmers got some advice from experts so they can make their plans for 2024.
The OSU Extension Office held its annual Ag Outlook Day at the Allen County Fairgrounds. A dozen speakers talked about everything from technology to the business of farming. Prices for things like fuel and fertilizers have dropped slightly from last year, but conflicts like that in the Middle East could drive those up, hurting the farmers' bottom line. Crop prices have fallen and with inflation still high, the profit margins for farmers will be tight, depending on yields.
"Luckily, you know we had a good year, last year, in terms of yields and prices were still reasonable," says Barry Ward, Director of OSU Income Tax Schools. "But it's going to be a challenging year. And it's not something farmers are unused to. They know challenging years. So, we'll see."
And with planting season just around the corner, meteorologists from Nutrien Ag Solutions say the early indicators look like it could be a good start for farmers.
"We are looking at two primary signals, if you will, in the atmosphere," says Matt Reardon, Senior Atmospheric Scientist for Nutrien Ag Solutions. "One are sea service temperatures, so those are ocean temperatures around the globe and second thing we look at for a spring planting contest is soil moisture. Those two indexes that I just talked about, sea temperatures and soil moisture is looking friendlier for more rainfall this spring and potentially this summer as well."
Reardon says farmers need to go into the planting season with a plan but be prepared to adapt if need be when weather forecasts become clearer.
