Tight farm margins have farmers looking for ways to reduce expenses, but farm management analyst Kent Thiesse cautions against cuts that jeopardize yield. “If you’re going to try to reduce costs, especially an input cost, you have to be very strategic,” said Thiesse. “If you reduce costs and you cut into your yield ten percent, you’ve maybe taken the profit out of it.” Thiesse said that calculation applies to fertilizer and crop protection products. In particular, Thiesse cites the use of fungicides, saying they have provided significant benefits for corn and soybean production in southern Minnesota in recent years. Watch the Wednesday forum.
