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THE COST OF FARMING<br />
Here for<br />
your way<br />
of life.<br />
We’ll work hard to help you protect your farm, with<br />
coverage from State Farm ® that’s broad enough to meet<br />
all your farm and auto insurance needs. Your local agents<br />
are here to help. Let’s talk today.<br />
Kara Howe, Agent<br />
1801 Lincoln Way<br />
Clinton, IA 52732<br />
Bus: 563-242-3400<br />
www.myclintonagent.com<br />
Jeff Reed, Agent<br />
826 S. 4th Street<br />
Clinton, IA 52732<br />
Bus: 563-243-1060<br />
www.jeffreedinsurance.com<br />
David Linder, Agent<br />
1133 11th Street<br />
De Witt, IA 52742<br />
Bus: 563-659-3116<br />
www.davidlinder.org<br />
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, State Farm Indemnity Company,<br />
State Farm Fire and Casualty Company, State Farm General Insurance Company,<br />
Bloomington, IL<br />
State Farm Florida Insurance Company, Winter Haven, FL<br />
State Farm County Mutual Insurance Company of Texas, State Farm Lloyds,<br />
1708172.1<br />
Richardson, TX<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER PHOTO / BROOKE TILL<br />
A hay rake sits ready for action last August as Marshall waited for dry<br />
conditions to bale cut alfalfa.<br />
everything from fuel for his tractor to fertilizer for his crops to<br />
feed for his animals, the 29-year-old noted that he and other<br />
farmers are thinking a lot about profit margins.<br />
“I’ve been shifting my mentality a bit and trying to pay<br />
stuff off,” Marshall said. It seems to him that being less in debt<br />
makes sense right now.<br />
“The less leverage, the more peace of mind,” said Marshall,<br />
whose wife works off the farm. With the average age of farmers<br />
in Iowa being about 57, according to the USDA’s 2021 census<br />
of agriculture, Marshall is a young producer. He plans to be in<br />
the business for many years, but admits that concerns about<br />
inflation, government regulations, the supply chain and rising<br />
prices weigh on him.<br />
“It’s the nature of the world right now, not just farming,” he<br />
said.<br />
While he doesn’t grow corn or soybeans currently, he feels<br />
the impact of the market conditions that those producers feel.<br />
“I’m dealing with the same stuff. The price of hay seed hasn’t<br />
gone up as drastically as corn and beans have, but I’m still<br />
paying for higher-priced fertilizer and fuel. And, I’m buying $7<br />
corn to feed my livestock,” he said.<br />
The hay business is a bit different than other crops.<br />
“What I have is high-risk, high-reward because I can’t contract<br />
anything,” Marshall said. He sells hay by either the bale or<br />
the ton, both to individuals and at the Dyersville hay market.<br />
“I’m looking at what it’s costing me per ton to make it. It<br />
definitely has gone up,” he said.<br />
On the livestock side of things, Marshall sells a lot of farmto-table.<br />
“The hogs are sold through a locker, so we can set our own<br />
prices a little bit there and make sure we’re making money,”<br />
he said. He sells about a third of his cattle through a locker and<br />
some privately.<br />
54 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | FALL 2022 eifarmer.com
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