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Diversification helps Minnesota farm navigate ag economy slump

A central Minnesota crop and livestock producer says diversification is helping her farm weather the current downturn in the ag economy.

Judy Barka and her family grow corn, soybeans, and raise beef cattle near Litchfield.

“We’re diversified, so that helps considerably. We also have off-farm income that has helped to sustain us through those kind of things. So we’re doing a variety of different things in terms of helping to make sure that the income is there so we can stay on the farm, and hopefully pass it down to the next generation of our kids and our grandkids.”

Speaking to Brownfield at the Minnesota State Fair Friday, she said the strong cattle market has helped offset low corn and soybean prices.

“We’re doing some fall calving right now at home, and so we’ve been able to sell when the market is good. We’re also feeding more of our crop to our beef cattle than we probably would have, before we may have sold them at an earlier point. But because the corn prices are low it’s more beneficial for us to feed the cows out ourselves than it is for us to sell.”

Barka does some direct marketing and says beef sales really took off during and after the pandemic.