With crop prices that have been falling at or below the break even point, row crop farmers are focusing on ways to improve efficiency and understand the overall profitability of their operations. A recent report from Rabobank Research calls attention to this shift happening in the U.S. row crop sector and provides a list of efficiency driven practices that farmers can adopt to maintain profitable and sustainable operations. Below we've summarized a few key takeaways:
“Adopting new procedures and processes—especially those involving technology—can be difficult … the harsh reality is that maintaining the status quo is, ultimately, a much more expensive proposition.”
In the past three years, America has seen an increase in the number of acres being farmed along with better, higher yields. In addition to this, a strong U.S. dollar has increased competition for U.S. grain exports, making them a less appealing choice than those from countries with lower exchange rates like Brazil or Argentina. The increase in acres farmed combined with higher yields and lower demands have resulted in low crop prices and have left growers with little room to profit.
So what can U.S. farmers do to combat this? Rabobank identifies increasing efficiency as a key way in which farmers can lower the cost of their operations and ultimately increase their overall profitability.
“Row Crop farming can be thought of as a contract management business that utilizes inputs (seed, fertilizer, chemicals, water, and land) to produce a specific output: in this case, the crop. In any commoditized business in which a large number of companies with insignificant market shares compete largely on price, business must become low-cost operators in order to survive and thrive."
“Farmers often focus on optimizing the agronomic aspect of their business. While this is indeed a key to success, other parts of the business—such as financial management and marketing—require a similar amount of attention.”
According to the Rabobank report, land will be one of the highest input costs for farmers over the coming years and that during this time, many farms will not be sustainable. One way to combat this cost is negotiating for lower renting rates. Understanding the profitability of each field and being able to provide that data to your landlord is a helpful first step in negotiating lower rates.
In addition to high land costs, the report also predicts that as lenders become more sensitive to this challenging environment, the standards for credit will tighten and leave growers with limited access to credit. Being able to provide lenders with data-driven insights about your farming operation, such as the profitability of each acre, is an effective way to establish more credibility in an increasingly competitive environment.
Ultimately, understanding your farm’s financial position and developing a comprehensive plan for profitability is one of the best ways growers can prepare for future challenges.
“The adoption of basic farm management software and information systems is a critical first step on the path towards efficiency and operational excellence.”
Relying on new technology as a way to improve efficiency can often feel like a risk, especially during times when crop prices are low. But, technology can often be one of the best tool to use when it comes to making important management decisions. With the data driven, field-level insights provided by modern technology, each decision you make is a conscious choice that contributes to your bottom line and helps to build a sustainable future for your farm.
To learn more, you can read Rabobank’s full report, Farming the Efficient Frontier, here.
Sources: Liddel, S. and Zuckerberg, K. (2016, July). Farming the Efficient Frontier. Retreived from http://gannonre.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Farming-the-Efficent-Frontier.pdf