AGRICULTURE APRIL 22-28, 2024 SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 11 A Hard Row to Hoe by Karen Craigo · kcraigo@sbj.net Farms are under pressure, and the outlook from the University of Missouri Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute projects further declines in farm income and higher costs for producers. The 2024 farm outlook, released last month by FAPRI, notes farm commodity prices reached peak levels in spring 2022, but they have since tumbled and that downward pressure is projected to continue beyond 2024. Net farm income, which dropped $30 billion from 2022 to 2023, is projected to continue declining, according to FAPRI. Crop prices are declining, and profitability is See ROAD on page 15 TAWNIE WILSON COMPREHENSIVE AG EDUCATION Missouri State University professor Natalie Mook offers pointers to student rider Celeste Swick during AGS 162, Introduction to Riding, one of a wide range of classes offered for students with an interest in agriculture. Interest in ag careers is high – but so is pressure on farmers at risk, the FAPRI report stated. For consumers, food price inflation slowed in 2023, another trend that could continue in 2024, the report stated. Such pressures are business as usual for farmers, according to Nichole Busdieker-Jesse, instructor of agribusiness in Missouri State University’s William H. Darr College of Agriculture. “It’s important to understand, in agriculture, we always have those ups and downs and arounds when it comes to pricing,” she said. “These are challenging times, but I can’t say that it’s anything really new that we haven’t seen.” The mix of elevated inflation and interest rates is a combination that hasn’t been seen in a while, Busdieker-Jesse said. “If you are risk-averse, agriculture is probably not the right industry for you,” she said. Even so, local interest in agricultural careers is brisk, according to Katie Kensinger, director of college and career readiness for Springfield Public Schools. Kensinger said within SPS, the college and career readiness platform Naviance identifies career clusters of interest to students, and it has shown 13.5% of ninth- and 10th-graders are interested in agriculture, and 18% of sixth- and seventh-graders. SPS rises to the occasion, with its AgAcademy, an immersive agricultural program for students in grades four to six, and with high school agriculture education programs at Hillcrest and Glendale high schools. Additionally, seventh-graders can participate in AgVenture, offering four fullday experiences in agriculture, like a tour of the Vital Farms egg washing and packing facility, called Egg Central Station, in Partnership Industrial Center West. Kensinger said a majority of students enrolled in agricultural education do not come from farm families – not surprising in an urban school district. And she noted agriculture careers extend well beyond being a farmer. “Maybe they’re more business focused,” she said. “There are plenty of opportunities for them in the agriculture world in business, marketing and things like that. It’s not just animals; it’s not just plants.” Nichole Busdieker-Jesse said there are a lot of risk-management tools available to address multiple factors. “Pricing concerns, income concerns – for all areas of risk, a lot of tools are available,” she said. “It’s just a matter of what works best for your operation in a given situation.” Family farm future Jeremy Pendleton, president of the Lawrence County Farm Bureau, is a grain farmer in Stotts City. He acknowledged that now is a difficult time to be a farmer. Grain prices are stagnant, and input prices – the cost of things like seed, chemicals and fertilizer – are soaring. Pendleton noted last year crops were selling higher, at up to $6.50 per bushel of corn.
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