Eastern Iowa Farmer Fall 2020

coronavirus
slowdowns because of limited
employees available, wreaking
havoc on livestock farmers
and putting stress on the trucking
industry.
Dennis Schroeder Trucking,
the DeWitt-based firm
Donny’s father built, and other
livestock haulers across the
Midwest found that their usual
farm customers had animals
ready for market but no place
to deliver them.
In April, Farm Journal’s
AgWeb posted an interactive
map showing harvest facilities
across the United States.
Readers could click on an icon
for details about a specific
plant, its current operation
status, and other information.
On almost any given
day in April and May, that
map showed several plants
closed and others operating at
below capacity in Iowa. That
continued in June, though at a
lesser rate.
The visual image of just
how many plants are in Iowa
– at least 14, giving it the
highest concentration in the
Midwest – and the surrounding
states of Nebraska, Missouri
and Illinois illustrates the
economic impact the industry
wields. Iowa leads the nation
in hog production and is in the
top 10 for commercial beef
and turkeys.
The Schroeders also haul
grain, but no sector of agriculture-related
businesses was
untouched when the coronavirus
set the dominos falling.
Corn and soybean prices below
the break-even mark most
of the spring led many farmers
to hold on to their grain.
“With corn prices what they
Eastern Iowa Farmer photo / Trevis Mayfield
Donny Schroeder, left, shares a laugh with his dad, Dennis Schroeder.
When Donny and his brother, Travis, joined their dad in the business,
the firm added livestock to their grain and fertilizer hauling services.
When it’s time to
change up your
inventory, Brandon
and Gene can
help you find
the right piece
of equipment
for your needs.
Call or stop in
today to see how
we can help you.
Pictured: Brandon Schrader
and Gene Hosch
I M P L E M E N T
Monticello, IA • 319-465-3519
Dyersville, IA • 563-875-2426
scherrmans.com
68 Eastern Iowa Farmer | fall 2020 eifarmer.com