Page 14 - Logan County Farm Outlook - Spring 2013

2013 LOGAN COUNTY FARM OUTLOOK MAGAZINE. LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.com March 21, 2013
14
Getting in or getting out?
2012 was a dry year for farmers and
non-farmers alike. The drought of last
year will no doubt go down in history,
joining 1983 and 1988 in the memories
of those who made it through all three
droughts.
Years such as 2012 tend to leave a
question or two on
everyone’s mind as
they come to a close.
What if the next year
is dry as well, or even
drier than the previous
season? How will this
affect the farmers
and the businessmen
who make a living
through the agriculture
industry?
Here in Logan County, there are a
multitude of people who can provide some
insight into these questions. One of them
is Rick Harbarger, an employee of Logan
County Bank and a farmer as well.
Harbarger farms 650 acres, primarily
corn, between Elkhart and Mount Pulaski.
He has been farming since 1977.
Harbarger echoes other farmers in Logan
County, saying that the drought of 2012
definitely reminds him of the drought of
1988.
However, 1988 was not simply a
difficult year due to the drought. “Prices
tanked in the ‘80s,” said Harbarger. The
lack of a high price for crop payout,
combined with the
lower yields due
to the dry season,
made the late 1980s
very tough for
farmers.Comparing
with the harvest of
2012, Harbarger
says that farmers
and agricultural
b u s i n e s s m e n
still ended the year in relatively good
financial shape due to the higher price
of crops, especially corn.
The difference is rather large. In the
1988-1989 marketing year, corn sold for
an average of $2.54 per bushel. Recent
figures have placed corn selling around
$7 per bushel.
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