SPRING FARM 2023

Geis

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This year, they hope to get both crops in the ground a little sooner.

“In a normal year, we like to be done with corn in April, and with beans the first week of May, usually,” Bill Geis said.

While there is a growing trend that sees some farmers planting soybeans before corn, these brothers concentrate on both commodities at the same time. They run two planters, one with corn, one with soybeans, and just keep going from field to field as soil conditions and weather allow.

“Our biggest challenge is finding the help,” said Joe Geis. “We just need enough bodies to do everything.”

Part-time help is used to deliver seed and just help out with any jobs that keep the planters rolling. Their brother, Dave Geis, who is retired from an off-farm job, helps when possible, and they also have a few others that work as needed.

One thing that hasn’t changed is their crop rotation plan. They’ve never been too tempted

Livestock

by the idea of going all-corn, mainly out of concerns for plant health.

“There’s too much risk of disease, root worm and other things like that,” said Joe Geis.

Technology, the brothers agree, is the biggest change they have seen in more than four decades of farming. Such things as auto-steer and seed monitors may seem to make the job easier, but it’s an ever-changing challenge to just keep up.

“The technology is great when it’s working. When it breaks down, you have to call somebody,” Joe Geis said. “We didn’t grow up with it, so we struggle sometimes.”

When it comes to routine farm maintenance, the brothers work together in a spacious shop that is also a bit of a neighborhood gathering place. Early March has seen them busy with maintenance on semi-trailers and getting them ready for hauling water when it comes time to spray. The shop is designed in three separate areas, including an office, equipment maintenance, and cold storage.

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It is possible that cattle prices during 2023 will continue to run higher than prices seen in 2022 and support higher retail beef prices in the supermarkets, he pointed out. The cattle cycle is likely at a turning point this year with liquidation likely ending early in 2023 and some slight expansion of the cow herd likely to be seen in the January 2024 report.

Hog inventory numbers in the December 2022 quarterly report were down 1 percent from a year ago and 2 percent less than two years ago, Wheeler explained. But the breeding herd was up slightly compared to last year and it is expected that U.S. pork production in 2023 will be slightly greater (1.5 percent) than it was in 2022.

By the fourth quarter of 2023, pork production is forecast to be 4 percent greater than it was in the fourth quarter of 2022, he said.

Hog prices are currently 15 percent lower than they were last year.

For the year, USDA forecasts hog prices to be 6.7 percent less than they were in 2022.

“Exports are doing OK

The shop is a good place for neighboring farmers to stop in, visit about the weather, inputs and commodity prices.

“No one is happy about prices,” Bill Geis said. “I hope the price we’re paying for things goes down, but we’re used to it at this point and we just have to pencil it into the budget. It’s nothing new.” like high costs of construction and uncertainty of production costs will slow significant growth of the breeding herd.” these past few months. Mexico and Korea have seen growth. China, Hong Kong and Japan have seen some decline over the past few months. The picture for exports is still bright, but with the current strength of the dollar, it will see modest gains,” added Pat McGonegle, chief executive officer of the Iowa Pork Producers Association.

“You can’t change it,” Joe Geis agreed.

The brothers also agree on perhaps the biggest advancement they have seen in their decades on the farm. In their farming careers the brothers have seen new tractors that are so much easier to drive, hybrids that perform better than ever, and yet they have a simple answer for what has made life better for farmers.

“Air conditioning,” the brothers readily agree. And for anyone who grew up sweating under a blazing hot sun or stuck in a stuffy cab, it’s easy to say that the comfort of a little cool air on a hot summer day should never be under-estimated.

Mike Anderson, executive director of the Iowa Beef Industry Council, noted that on the beef side, another record was set for exports, with Japan as the No. 1 exporter and South Korea as No. 2. China is No. 3 but demand there has been skyrocketing, he said.

“According to the USDA pig crop report, expansion of the herd will be tempered. Issues

“An Iowa contingency just came back from a weeklong trip that was amazing. The demand is high in those countries. We went to really neat grocery stores and a Costco. There were huge banners and displays about premium pork and prime beef, so they really do view our meat as a high-end product, a premier product, which is awesome,” Anderson said. “We anticipate the Chinese market to be just huge in the next few years with their increasing population. They don’t have enough food in their own country to feed everyone and have to get it from other countries. They got a taste of corn-fed beef from the U.S. and can’t get enough of it now.”