Page 26 - Logan County Farm Outlook - Spring 2013
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2013 LOGAN COUNTY FARM OUTLOOK MAGAZINE. LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.com March 21, 2013
26
In mid-September 2012, the average
price of corn was $7.81 per bushel,
compared with the price of $6.77 per
bushel in the same month of 2011. The
average corn yield in Logan County in
2012 was 96.5 bushels per acre, while
in 2011 that average was
173.4 bushels per acre.
In spite of the lower
price per bushel in 2011,
the difference between
the two years comes to
$420.26 per acre.
At face value, it looks
like an irrigation system
could have been of
benefit in 2012. But
looking on the long term, with a cost of
$138 to maintain it, the gain that could
have been realized drops to $282.26
per acre.
Add to that the cost of using a
petroleum-based fuel instead of
electricity, and this number could drop
to nothing. In addition, there are other
considerations, such as the increase
of fertilizer needed for consistently
irrigated crops and the need for an
increased seed population at planting.
When you get to the bottom line, it
may very well turn out that irrigation
costs more than it is worth, even in a
drought year.
So, long story short, said Fulton, it’s
probably not a viable
backup plan at all. It’s
a production method
to help reach a more
average production
level. On many of the
productive farms in our
area, the additional
cost of equipment
and its operation isn’t
justified economically
for regular production.
Fulton did go on to say that there are
a few irrigation systems in use in Logan
County. However, they are being used
primarily in the production of specialty
crops such as vegetables or by seed
producers. In those cases, the dollar
return per acre is much higher than
with a commodity crop, and therefore
irrigation becomes a more affordable
alternative to Mother Nature.
[Nila Smith]
Reference material:
“60 Acre Pivot Irrigation Cost Analysis”
Irrigation
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