With six to seven inches of rain in places around the area, fields have unfortunately experienced standing water. Local farmer Ron Moore, expects some replanting to be done come June:
“Five to ten percent of what we have already planted that might have to be replanted. Not a great amount, but still enough to take the bloom off of the good spring we had started before this last weekend,” Moore says.
Moore remains optimistic and grateful for the warmer weather in the forecast.
Some meat processing plants are back up and running, but still not at full production due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused a negative effect on the agriculture industry. Moore outlines the uncertainty:
“That really had a devastating effect on the price of cattle and hogs and subsequently our grain because if we can’t move our livestock into the processing plants, they are not going to be eating corn and soybeans. So that has had a negative impact on our corn and soybean prices as well. Along with all the uncertainty with the trade issues with China and USMCA that is supposedly getting implemented here this summer, and so a lot of uncertainty. When there is that much uncertainty in the market place, people just decide to sell and sell and sell until we get an opportunity that we get some positive news in the trade front,” Moore shares.
With the slowdown in production, an abundance supply of cattle and hogs have had to remain on the farm. Moore states the food is out there, it just is not in the right locations right now.
