Wayne County sees both strides and declines in agriculture

  • By Angela Workman
  • January 21, 2014
  • 415
                        
Summary: The agriculture in Wayne County is looking steady in regard to dairy, goats, sheep and beef cattle production. Areas of decline include corn, soy beans and wheat. Rory Lewandowski, The Ohio State University Extension educator, explained that a lot of questions will be answered once the Farm Bill is released at the end of January. Wayne County is home to a rich pallet of agriculture. The 2014 canvas may be bright at times for farmers, but it will also involve uncertainty in legislation and decline in prices. According to Rory Lewandowski, The Ohio State University Extension educator for agriculture and natural resources, corn has probably taken the biggest hit in price. “Projections are we’re probably going to maybe be in this for a little while, for a few years. We’re getting really close to that $4 a bushel and you break even,” Lewandowski said. Soy beans and wheat are also declining, he added, but not to the same extent as corn. Lewandowski explained that the decline in corn could be due to the demand for ethanol, which is now reaching capacity. The price of corn is also contingent upon the export markets and the value of the U.S. dollar. As the economy improves, so do the prices. “Within the last 5 years we have seen more volatility in markets than ever before. Things move up and down very quickly,” Lewandowski added. The Farm Bill will likely be released at the end of January, which may offer more clarity for farmers. Lewandowski said there are still many questions related to the protection farmers will have. “The basic idea (of the Farm Bill) at some point, when we started, was to provide kind of a base level safety net so that all of our farmers wouldn’t go out of business. You want to make sure you keep your farmers there, keep producing, that we keep our food rolling,” Lewandowski said. Also, Lewandowski said farmers must look at controlling production costs and selling at a reasonable cost to consumers. Farmers can also consider increasing their marketing. “When we look at livestock then, the one area that’s looking a bit stronger this year is dairy,” Lewandowski said. “As grain prices fall, and they’re feeding them to their animals, that becomes a little bit to their benefit.” Beef cattle production is doing well and goat production is doing OK, Lewandowski explained. He added that Wayne County is the number one county in the state for dairy production and cattle. “In Wayne County, we’re the third ranked county in the state in sheep production. We’re seeing people really getting interested in getting into sheep production. We don’t have really big flocks, but it is a growing industry and those prices have been fairly solid,” Lewandowski said. “Agriculture is the main economic driver in Wayne Country. We have the infrastructure fortunately that supports all of this agriculture.” Additionally, he explained that commercial fruit and vegetable production is another piece to the agricultural economy. Processors like Gerber Poultry and Smith Dairy also contribute to the landscape of agriculture. “Another, I think, really important component of Wayne County agriculture is that all of the various agencies, organizations, and groups, anyone involved in agriculture, really tends to work together. There’s really a spirit of collaboration and cooperation, and I’ve worked in other counties, and it’s not that way in every county. We’re really privileged everybody works together and we all support each other and encourage each other. It makes it really nice to work in a county like this,” Lewandowski concluded.


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