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AGRICULTURE: Fuel Costs, Market Prices Influence Expo Creativity

Posted on: Thursday, 16 February 2006, 09:00 CST

By Kelly Stone, Grand Forks Herald, N.D.

Feb. 16--The tone at this year's International Crop Expo seems to be "cautious creativity."

The show, which continues today in the Alerus Center, includes exhibitor booths, teaching workshops and literally tons of farm machinery scattered across the arena's main floor.

Walt Just, manning the Farm Credit Services booth, said ag producers are growing more concerned about market prices and fuel costs. "I think they're becoming more conservative," Just said. "The good news is they're looking at what their protection is, and more than ever, they're spending time with their insurance agents."

As for spending six figures on new machinery, "I think there's less of that than normal, and that's not good for the economy, but it's the real world," Just said. "They're gonna stay closer to what they have, and fix it, not look at additional expenditures."

Investing to save

Yet some farmers are asking how new investments might save money. Showing off the new Wil-Rich cultivator with spring-mounted waffle coulters, Ed Hodgson said it might help cut operating costs.

"We feel it's going to be quite a fuel saver for farmers, because it doesn't pull as hard as a regular implement does, it runs pretty shallow through the soil, and the vertical units roll rather than drag through the soil," Hodgson said.

Hodgson said they put seven units out in the field last fall, from Hillsboro, N.D., to Watertown, S.D., and received positive feedback.

"But we're still in the infancy stage, and we're going to be cautious. Our marketing plan is to see a dealer take one unit and send it out with a customer, to see how it works for him." Eventually, Wil-Rich hopes to market the cultivator throughout the United States and Canada. "It's gonna be substantial," Hodgson said.

Cost-cutting benefits

Other producers are looking underground to cut costs.

University of Minnesota extension educator Hans Kandel told a packed seminar room about the benefits of investing in drain tiling. He said it costs roughly $350 an acre to put in, but can be expected to increase profits by as much as $9 an acre. Better drainage requires less tillage and may give the grower more crop options.

"I have not yet talked to anybody who has started it and has not continued," said Kandel, adding that many landowners wish they would have tried it years ago.

Today's discussion topics at the 2006 International Crop Expo include no-till farming and the soybean market outlook.

Stone reports on agriculture for Agweek magazine and the Herald. Reach her at 780-1111; (800) 477-6572, ext. 111; or e-mail kstone@gfherald.com.

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Copyright (c) 2006, Grand Forks Herald, N.D.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: Grand Forks Herald (Grand Forks, N.D.)

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