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Indiana farmer adjusts inputs as higher fertilizer prices squeeze margins

A southwest Indiana farmer says the current spike in input prices is having a mixed impact on his farm.

John Richer raises corn, soybeans, wheat, produce, and operates cow/calf and fat cattle herds in Martin and Daviess counties. He tells Brownfield he decided not to change his planting intentions despite the surge in fertilizer.

“Our crop rotation really hasn’t changed all that much. We just don’t like to mess with that. Just the way it comes out, we’re kind of soybean heavy this year.”

But he says they’ve been incorporating more manure to help lower their fertilizer bill.

“Utilizing the manure with soil analysis, grid sampling every acre we farm to make sure the manure we put on is going exactly where it’s needed so we don’t get phosphate levels too high.”

When it comes to nitrogen, Richer says, “If you’re going to raise corn, you got to have nitrogen. It’s just part of it. You can do different things to try to help mitigate some of those costs. We’ve started trying to lower some of our nitrogen inputs just because of the high cost of it.”

Richer made his comments during Brownfield’s recent episode of Tailgate Talk.