Farmers on a higher wire

From a journalist's perspective, since last fall it's been easy to sense a whole new optimism in agriculture. The biofuels boom has a lot to do with it, of course.

Cash corn prices in my home town hit $4.00 this winter, compared to a three-year average of about $2.00. Farmers and agribusiness people I met at the Commodity Classic meeting in February (corn, soy and wheat growers) all were talking about new technology and expansion. Only a year ago the talk was all cost-cutting and status quo.

But this new era, if that's what it is, also has raised the balancing act of farming to a higher wire. Some farmers view this year as a once-in-lifetime opportunity to make some real money. Costs for fuel, land rents, and other inputs are rising. And, the weather this spring isn't cooperating in a lot of places.

Along with the higher expectations, there's more tension in the air this spring. According to a new poll in Agriculture Online, more than half of farmers rate this year as a more stressful than normal.

Stress can come in a variety of forms--weather and other Acts of God, red tape, family matters, you name it. Writing in response to the poll, an Indiana farmer said:

"Seed all burnt up with barn fire last week, but didn't lose equipment and no injuries. Hope to start planting Sat., which would put us at normal pace. Insurance forms are a real treat. Dad wants brother and me to buy 160 ac at 1/2 price so he can start a non-ag business, but still $160/ac for 30 yrs. Neither of us own ground to spread cost over, so what to do. Town job is stressful. So I just go to the woods and look for mushrooms, but that isn't going well either."

Oh, the eternal verities of agriculture....