Farmers Know Best
As published in the The Northwest Indiana Times - Steve Eberly - February 11, 2024
For folks in Indiana, the annual change from fall to winter brings attention to colder weather — maybe a little different this year with the effects of the El Nino and our changing climate. And the changing season is another chance to reflect upon another year soon to be gone by. For us farmers, it includes looking at past crop performance, how can we do better in 2024 and what new risks will we face that could threaten our way of life.
One thought that remains constant on my mind is the conundrum presented by the handful of Hoosiers who are still focused on dictating to farmers what they can do with their own land. The notion that diversification of land use with renewable energy will threaten our food supply is simply false. While food inequity is a problem in America, the shortage of food is not a problem.
The problem we have in America is that farmers are going broke. Diversifying use of the land presents an opportunity to save Hoosier farms, providing farmers with steady income that will support them for decades. And the facts show that diversification does not mean imperiling the food supply.
Opponents to diversification suffer from a lack of faith in the ability of our farmers to innovate and grow. Literally.
Let’s take a look at land use as an economic enterprise comprised of two essential variables: Price and productivity. The one constant fact about farmers in this country is that we are darned good at maximizing productivity. We simply need to be. We continue to produce so much more on the same and decreasing number of acres. Note some of the recent news:
We celebrated the annual results of the National Corn Yield Contest. For me, it’s almost impossible to comprehend that the winner, from Virginia, produced a new world record yield of 623.84 bushels of corn per acre. Here in Indiana, the same producer that won the Corn Belt conventional title in 2018 once again won in 2023 with a yield of 425 bushels per acre. Contrasting to his 2018 winning total of 388 bushels per acre, the farmer had increased the yield by 9.5% in just 5 years.
In all, here in Indiana, farmers averaged 203 bushels per acre (BPA) in 2023, up 13 bushels from 2022.
Corn Yield in the United States
Source: USDA
Soybeans, a crop which also has a prominent role in our food supply, will hit an average yield of 61 bushels per acre in 2023, up 3.5 bushels from 2022. Since 2000, average soybean yield is up 33% in Indiana according to the USDA. Other crops and livestock production have also enjoyed increases in productivity while all the while minimizing utilization of resources.
Your average person on the street might ask, “How is this possible?” The answer is acceptance and encouragement to change, to innovate and to explore what’s next. Changes with farming practices, equipment, technology, genetics and an overall confidence in the future.
I would offer that our energy landscape is in so many respects similar to agriculture. Some may scoff at this but think about it: We will always need more production and for sure the public, both farmers and everyone else, focus on price. Indiana utilities have embraced renewable energy because of competitive price and it's cleaner for our environment.
Energy production is engaged in a dramatic transition. Indiana can handle the transition, and the farmers and landowners can for sure decide if it is the best move for their economic future using their land. Noting the examples of agriculture productivity, we know our farmers are ready to adapt and change for the future.
Just like modern agriculture — change can be good. It’s good for our pocketbooks, it’s good for the environment, and it’s good for our farmers as they diversify their land (now that we know they are so much more productive than just a few years ago).
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