MARC JACOBS
Hutch Post
Kansas agriculture embraces technology while farmers face rising costs, dry conditions
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — New technology is helping Kansas farmers operate more efficiently, but high fuel and fertilizer costs and persistent drought continue to create challenges across the state.
Agricultural broadcaster and southwest Kansas farmer John Jenkinson discussed those issues during a Friday interview on the BW Morning Show while visiting the Kansas State Fair.
Jenkinson said agricultural drones were among the technologies that caught his attention at the fair. The aircraft can treat specific sections of a field without requiring a plane to spray the entire crop.
Ground equipment is also becoming more precise. Jenkinson pointed to John Deere’s See & Spray system, which uses cameras and computer technology to identify and spray individual weeds.
“There’s just so much innovation now trying to make things more and more efficient,” Jenkinson said.
The technological advances come as farmers face sharply higher production expenses. Jenkinson said diesel prices are especially damaging because fall harvest and winter wheat planting are underway.
“These high prices are happening at the wrong time,” Jenkinson said. “The offset from the higher grain prices just is not going to offset how much more we’re spending on fuel.”
Higher transportation costs can also affect consumers because nearly every product depends on diesel-powered equipment somewhere along the supply chain, he said.
Dry conditions are adding to the difficulties in western Kansas. Jenkinson farms near the Meade-Gray county line, about 40 miles southwest of Dodge City. He said excessive daytime heat and overnight temperatures remaining above 70 degrees damaged irrigated corn during pollination.
Fields that typically produce between 285 and 300 bushels of corn per acre are yielding between 260 and 270 bushels this year, he said. Some dryland crops burned up weeks ago, while the lack of soil moisture is creating concerns about planting winter wheat.
Farmers are also calling for increased competition within the fertilizer industry. Jenkinson said producers want the federal government to examine whether existing antitrust laws could be used to address market concentration and high prices.
Despite the difficult conditions, Jenkinson encouraged farmers to remain hopeful and discuss their concerns with family members.
“We’ve been through this before,” Jenkinson said. “We’ll go through it again. We can do this.”