GuestCOLUMN Vincent “Zippy” Duvall, a poultry, cattle and hay producer from Greene County, Ga, is the 12th president of the American Farm Bureau Federation
By Zippy Duvall
twitter.com/@ZippyDuvall
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e are all feeling the pressures these days of and staff, but those adjustments just don’t work on rising costs, from the grocery store to the the farm. Whether you’re growing grains, raising fuel pump. Most Americans are already livestock or growing fruits and vegetables, you don’t making adjustments here and there. Some might set the price you’ll receive at harvest unless you’re drive less, take a family vacation closer to home, or directly marketing your products, and that price can change from the time you’re planning and planting to cook a few more meals rather than dining out. But harvest time. There are no slow times on the farm finding small ways to save can only go so far when or margins to reduce employee time. What’s more, your very livelihood depends on goods that keep you can’t control when your equipment might break getting more expensive, sometimes skyrocketing in down or worse when a storm price. When you need to plant crops, tend to them and care for or natural disaster might animals to keep the farm running, sweep in. I know everyone you have to find a way to make it Farmers and ranchers rise to is feeling the strain work, and many American farmers these challenges each day of rising costs, are hoping to at least hold on because we are grounded in until relief in the supply chain comes. our commitment to feed our but where it hits families and yours. But the As a beef and poultry farmer, differently on the I am a price taker — and that’s pressures of rising farm costs the same story for farmers of all — from seeds to equipment — farm is our inability commodities across the country. are front of mind in every to set prices. Most consumers don’t know that region right now, and the higher prices they’re paying in providing relief in the supply the grocery store these days don’t mean higher profits chain must be a top priority for our nation. At Farm for my farm or yours. This year’s input cost spikes Bureau, we have been calling on the administration have been tough, but they are also part of the bigger to address the skyrocketing costs of fertilizer, remove story of the rising cost of farming. For livestock import duties, free up port congestion and increase farmers in particular, business costs have increased efficiency across shipping channels. Our team of 46% since 2013 — those costs include animal care, economists are following market impacts closely feed and seed. Today, those costs continue to rise and and will continue to provide analysis as farmers with supply chain disruptions, you also have to pray and ranchers adjust their budgets to keep up. The that your farm supplies will arrive in time. pressures that keep you up at night on the farm, keep The story isn’t much better for farmers growing us up looking for solutions and advocating on your row crops either. While market prices are high for behalf here in Washington. We will weather this crops like corn and soybeans, the higher costs for storm together, as we work to keep our nation’s food seed, fertilizer, pesticides and fuel make it tough to supply secure and our farms strong. balance out. It’s also too early to tell if prices will keep The importance of food supply self-sufficiency up with farm costs or be swallowed up. has become crystal clear in recent weeks as more and I know everyone is feeling the strain of rising more people understand the connection between food costs, but where it hits differently on the farm is our security and national security. The cost of farming inability to set prices. A restaurant might adjust its may be high, but as global events remind us, the cost menu and raise prices to keep up, or reduce hours of losing America’s farms would be even greater. *
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Arkansas Agriculture
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ARKANSAS FARM BUREAU • QUARTERLY
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