With the coronavirus pandemic, farmers are seeing the effects on their farms.
According to the 2017 United States Department of Agriculture Census of Agriculture, there are 1,042 farms in Kosciusko County, a 16% decrease from 2012, said Kelly Heckaman, extension educator/CED at the Purdue University Kosciusko County Extension Office. Corn, soybeans, dairy – milk, swine, poultry and eggs, and ducks are the main byproducts farmers raise or grow in the county.
Heckaman spoke about some of the reasons behind the pandemic effects on farming.
“With less ethanol being used right now because of low oil prices, corn prices are going down. Dairy producers are also facing lower prices and potentially dumping milk. Swine producers have lost major processing space with the temporary closing of Tyson in Logansport and more depressed prices for their animals,” Heckaman said.
“Numerous beef processing plants have also closed depressing prices for beef cattle. Some of our greenhouse growers are facing limited or reduced sales. While we all read about stories of shortages, this does not always translate to higher prices at the farm. It is exactly the opposite right now. Farmers are also implementing precautions to keep their employees safe and healthy so that they can continue operating. In conclusion – decreased profitability and at times no market to sell your products to.”
Some small scale producers are finding success with increased direct marketing sales, she said.
Implementing safety procedures for their employees, making adjustments in curbside sales – especially the green houses, and trying to reduce outputs by feeding animals less – isn't always the best solution, Heckaman said.
Ryan Martin, president of the Farm Bureau, stated one of the biggest issues in the area is animal processing.
“Animal agriculture is what we call a just-in-time processing,” Martin said. When a hog gets to be a certain size, it’s sent off to a processing plant. When you have a backup at the plants, that causes issues with sending animals.
Indiana’s Congressional delegation on Thursday sent a letter to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Peter T. Gaynor in support of the state of Indiana’s request for FEMA assistance for depopulation activities resulting from COVID-19 disruptions, according to a news release from the state of Indiana. The letter requests eligibility for existing resources under FEMA as livestock and poultry producers struggle to combat severe supply chain issues due to the coronavirus pandemic. Most affected is the pork industry, which includes 2,800 Hoosier farms marketing $1 billion worth of hogs every year.
“Livestock and poultry production is a vital part of Indiana’s economy with a $3.9 billion market value. Over 14,000 Hoosiers are employed by the pork industry, and another 7,000 are employed by the poultry industry. The impact of the coronavirus has been detrimental to supply chains as meat processing facilities cease operations to combat the spread of the virus. Livestock and poultry production is entirely dependent on exact timing, and disruptions due to temporary closures are extremely challenging for producers deeply concerned about animal welfare and economic stability,” the delegation wrote.
Martin said while the Farm Bureau itself doesn’t have any programs to help farmers, it does help them by directing them to areas where they could get help.
Randall Beer, of Milford, farms 1,800 acres and raises 24,000 pigs. Beer said as far as crops, he mainly raises corn and soybeans. The corn is fed to his pigs and the soybeans are sold to Louis Dreyfus in Claypool.
Beer said the price dropped a lot for livestock and grain, which is mainly due to the slow down in demand because everyone is isolated.
He said his livestock goes primarily to Tyson in Logansport, as well as Clemens Foods in Michigan. With Trump ordering meet processing plants to open, it may help him with his pigs.
“We’ll see,” Beer said.
However, he did say if the packing plants don’t open, he will potentially have to euthanize some pigs if his farm doesn’t have a place to deliver them in the next few weeks.
Beer stated he does sell some pigs every week to a local meat locker and their business is booming.
He did note that the effects haven’t been going on long enough to put people out of business yet.
“I think we as Americans, we don’t worry about food,” Beer said, because there’s so much food in the country.
