Big Relief for Farms in Big Trouble

Big Relief for Farmers in ‘Big Trouble’

(Louisville, Ky) - Bitterroot farmer’s are facing a crisis similar to the headline-grabbing distress of the ‘80’s, though for different reasons. That situation was brought on by over-extended credit lines and a collapse in the banking industry. The latest round of farm failures is being spurred on by a sudden rise in on-farm expenses.

Bitterroot Farmer Darrel Sperry says “This agriculture industry is in big trouble. This fuel thing is eating a big whole into us. Not only in the expense of running my tractor and farm equipment but in the cost of chemicals.

That’s why we quit using fertilizer”

In most business and family economies when expenses increase, there are two options: cut costs or increase revenue. The problem, according to Sperry is that farmers cannot set the price they pay for inputs or that they receive for the goods they sell. “We are at the bottom of the list, we have to pay what the store is charging, and can on get what the market offers.” But some farmers, like Sperry, are fighting back.

One of the ways that producers are beginning to resist the assault on their bottom line is to eliminate production expenses like granular fertilizer. This, however, can be an ill-fated remedy because much of the arable land has been drained of the nutrients vital to making a crop every year. Because of this, some growers are looking at other options like a more ‘organic’ approach to agriculture, reverting to ‘old-fashioned’ farming practices, or experimenting with new technologies. Sperry is utilizing a mixture of approaches including more organic practices, while investing in and investigating new technologies.

One of the emerging technologies is ‘foliar-fed’ fertilizer programs. In this method, it is the plant, not the soils that are fed. This ‘new’ technology was first utilized in experiments in the 1950’s in Michigan. The results proved that even at greatly reduced application rates farmers could receive benefits similar to those of traditional fertility programs. Added benefits included an improved environment, better soil management, and better quality produce. Another has been an explosion in the usage and testing of humics.

Humics are complex carbon molecules that some, such as Mir Seyedbagheri, believe to be the foundation of vegetative life. The verdict on exactly what humics do as an amendment is still out. In fact, the scientific community is divided on their benefits. However, growing legions of farmers are finding them to be very cost effective, especially given the rising costs of other, more traditional, inputs. With two years of ‘garden miracles’ and two blue-ribbon hay crops under his belt, Sperry is a believer. Here are some of his results.

Garden
In year one of using Monty’s Liquid Fertilizer as a weekly application he noticed that he was getting two full crops of ears from his sweet corn. Last year, he would have had three full crops from the same ears but the weather ended the season prematurely. He was able to harvest cantaloupe right until the time of first frost and each melon was about the size of a man’s head and was much sweeter than he traditionally would have harvested. He said with a laugh that he usually grows just enough for his own use and to give to some friends at church, but at the rate his production is increasing he was going to ‘have to find some more friends.”

On-Farm
For a product to work in the garden is one thing, but as a farmer, he really needed for the new technology in Monty’s to work in the field. After two years of limited tests he was pleased with the results and plans on expanding the products use this season. His thirty acres of mint normally require 500 #’s per acre. He has reduced that amount to only 200 lbs and is not applying any of the other soil amendments that he would have in the past. While his yields were slightly lower, the cost savings more than made up for any loss in production. Additionally, he actually received more for his crop than he had in previous years because according to the buyer, his menthol levels were lower giving him a higher grade of oil. By the end of the season, his bottom line had improved significantly. Meanwhile his alfalfa and alfalfa/grass hay fields also saw some impressive returns. Not only did his cost of production decrease, his quality soared from an average of 140-160 to an RFV of 180 with a protein level of 20.7 with only one application of Monty’s. This year he is going to use multiple applications as Monty’s suggests in hopes of reaching an RFV of 200 and try to match the four cutting his neighbor, Ernie Foust pulled off of a nine year old alfalfa stand last season. In addition to these improvements, these technological advances also gave him bragging rights around the county this year as both of his Hay fields produced blue-ribbon bales at the county fair. All of this he received with one application of Monty’s Liquid Fertilizer and no other crop inputs to his second-cutting, irrigated, alfalfa fields.

With results like these, companies like Monty’s Plant Food Company seemed poised to grow as they answer questions that farmers are asking during the current farm crisis. Company President Dennis Stephens says, “Our goal has always been to help farmers bottom line, sometimes we do it through increased yield, sometimes through improved quality. If we can help them put more money in their pocket at the end of the year, that is what matters.” As for Darrel Sperry, he feels that his most productive and profitable years since he began in 1972 may still be ahead of him, even without ‘necessary’ farm inputs. These new technologies may not answer all of the questions on farms this spring but they may just help answer the ones that the banker has been asking.