Farmers Seeing Spikes in Input Costs This Spring

By Travis Volz

With planting season just around the corner, farmers are facing an uprecedented spike in input costs this spring.

Prices for fertilizer and chemicals have spiked this year due to follow on effects of the COVID pandemic and inflation, as well as the war in Ukraine.

Local farmer Ron Hackstadt says he is looking at an almost 300 percent increase in the costs of anhydrous ammonia over last year.

“It’s staggering,” Hackstadt said. “Last year we paid about $500 a ton, and this year it’s going to cost $1,400 or more.”

Even though both prices and yields were good last year, the strong harvest might prove to be a mixed blessing. 

“It’s kind of a double whammy for us, and it’s like a kick in the teeth,” said Hackstadt. “We have to use more fertilizer this year because we don’t want to deplete the soil, and last year’s big yields took a lot of nutrients

Read the full story in this week’s issue