Half of the Midwestern farmers surveyed in the Farmer Speaks study said they were somewhat optimistic or very optimistic about 2021. That’s double from what it was last year at this time. In a webinar organized by J.L. Farmakis, Indiana farmer Kendell Culp said the grain market rally has influenced farmer attitudes. “You probably sold a fair amount of crop and weren’t able to take advantage of the run-up in prices, but, all in all, it is really good for the attitude and the outlook for agriculture.” Hillsboro, North Dakota farmer Sarah Lovas said the past few years were very wet. That changed during this past fall’s harvest season. “I’ve never seen such happy farmers over such a poor yielding crop and it was simply because field conditions were that easy.” The Farmer Speaks survey found the one area where farmers are expected to make significant changes this year is in the crop protection category. The stronger commodity prices have farmers planning to invest more in fungicides and insecticides to boost yields.
