Stateline area residents should be prepared to see a big increase in ag-related traffic on rural roads this week.

After a long, cold winter and a wet spring, conditions are finally allowing farmers to get their planters into fields on high ground.

Blackhawk Technical College agriculture instructor Dustin “Dusty” Williams serves as vice president of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation for Green County and he talked about the status of local agriculture on Monday.

It’s a big week at Blackhawk Technical College’s Monroe campus as Wednesday is the groundbreaking and celebration for the 3,200-square-foot lab for the agribusiness degree program. Williams said the addition at the college has opened up many possibilities for students to learn about precision agricultural equipment.

While there is a definite glow of positive happenings at BTC, Williams said the recent consecutive days with sunshine has also been good for getting farm planting underway.

Because we live in an agricultural community, there is interest in seeing warm weather farm activities begin — although we have little good news to report economically for our farm friends and neighbors.

Farmers haven’t had economic relief from low prices for several consecutive years. We’re in a period of time that in the future will be looked back upon as a “farm crisis.”

Williams said market prices for commodities, with the exception of niche farm-to-table products, remains low. Supply outweighs demand leaving profit margins small, even for large farm enterprises. The smaller the operation, unless specialized, the more difficult to reach a profit.

“Farmers do a really good job at what they do,” Williams, who lives with his wife and their five children in South Wayne where they raise cattle, said. “Farmers are efficient and early adopters of beneficial, new technology. That efficiency leads to more supply than demand.”

Williams said dairy productivity over the past half-century has increased at an “earth-shattering” pace. Output has been enhanced by genetics, feed quality, ration configuration and countless other advances.

“Farmers are doing a better job, which leads to more production,” Williams said. “That leads to surplus commodities and lower prices. It’s all part of free markets and free enterprise. Quite a few farmers are struggling and there isn’t any relief in sight. They will struggle with it today and tomorrow.”

Corn and soybean investments by farmers can be hedged by multiple contracts, Williams said, “but there’s not a lot of profits to be made on any area of ag right now.”

Williams said he’s recently given presentations regarding agriculture and talked about the farm lifestyle. He said it’s important for people to “be respectful” of the ag economy and what farm families are going through.

“Farmers are going through a lot of depression,” Williams said. “They’ve lived their whole lives in this lifestyle. Some have done things like keeping their farms afloat by using their savings, equity, selling equipment and cashing in life insurance policies. People ask, ‘Why do they do that?’

“Farming is not just a business — it’s a way of life,” Williams continued, saying many farmers have no interest in giving up their way of life.

Although possibilities for improved market conditions are few, Williams said the recent emergence of hemp as a higher-profit crop has potential. 

One difficulty is that while farm infrastructure is set up to handle corn and soybeans, there is no similar infrastructure for hemp.

“Hemp is a whole different beast with storage and handling issues,” Williams said. “It requires more hands-on labor and we already know any crop that requires a lot of labor is going to be a difficulty.”

As for farm conditions for the 2019 growing season, Williams said there could be some oddities regarding insect and disease pressure due to coming off a long, cold winter.

One example locally of farmers dealing with the unknown at the end of last year’s growing season was the emergence of “tar spot,” which is caused by a fungus.

“That led corn to dry early and it was not expected,” Williams said. “Mother Nature plays a huge factor in everything we do on the farm. When you look at genetic potential regulated in a greenhouse setting those results aren’t the same a farmer gets when dealing with uncontrolled conditions.”

There is a prediction for a record worldwide corn crop in 2019, topping 15 billion bushels, according to Iowa State University crop marketing specialist Chad Hart. Despite the potential record crop, because the demand for meat is high, corn prices for feed purposes should rise to $3.90 per bushel, Hart said.

A positive outlook is welcome, yet corn prices on Friday were $3.58 per bushel. There’s little doubt a brighter farm economy would benefit our entire community due to local investments and spending.

Be careful and patient while driving as farmers get into their fields for 2019. Here’s wishing them a successful year.

— Matt Johnson is publisher of the Monroe Times. His column is published Wednesdays.