Politics, Persistence and Planting: 2024 in my Pickup’s Rearview Mirror
By Blake Hurst
Well, it’s been a memorable year—full of challenges, yes, but also opportunities to adapt and grow. While Farm income and prices are dropping like a stone, farmers are no strangers to weathering tough times, and 2024 gave us plenty of chances to prove our resilience.
I’ve run the farm budget for next year, and it isn’t pretty. We’ll continue to fertilize for good yields and I can’t stand weeds, so we’ll be very reluctant to cut down on weed control costs. I budgeted a continuing increase in seed costs, because if there’s one sure thing in agriculture it is that seed will cost more next year than it did this year. Oh well, I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to replace my very used combine with a less used combine in a year or two for less than I had planned.
My grandson, Aaron, is interning for a major farm equipment manufacturer on his way to a degree in agricultural engineering. He’s been getting a firsthand look at the realities of the agricultural industry. Times are tight in the supporting industries. His company has laid off employees and shortened the work week, and more belt tightening is in their future. This too will pass, but maybe not soon enough to get Aaron an immediate job. He’s a bit worried about his employment prospects after graduation, and I don’t blame him, but Aaron’s perseverance and talent give me confidence in his future.
On the political front, we’ve elected a new President, who is the old President, in both senses of the term. The new administration has hit the ground running, nominating RFK Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services. Mr. Kennedy holds unconventional thoughts about proven health strategies such as vaccines, as well as some extreme opinions about American agriculture. His selection has been met with a lot of skepticism in farm country. As a result, we are having a fairly good discussion about some of his more outlandish claims about farming.
Further complicating our outlook is the fact that the President-elect has promised to impose tariffs on our three biggest customers for agricultural products. Our biggest customer has promised retaliation, and the other two won’t be far behind. The encouraging part is that the announcement of new tariffs caused barely a ripple in the commodity markets. Maybe the market is convinced that a last-minute compromise will be reached, and we’ll continue to have markets for the things we grow. We raised a good crop the last two years with barely adequate rainfall. Maybe those expensive seeds are removing some of the weather risk from farming?
On the bright side, we farmers have little to fear from a public discussion of modern technology applied to the production of food. There is a chance, however slight, that we may benefit from a fresh public airing of controversial topics that have thus far been sequestered behind the doors of court rooms and regulatory agencies. I’d say the chances of common sense prevailing are better than even, but not by much.
This past year didn’t rise to the occasion when it came to off-farm distractions either. The St. Louis Cardinals are rebuilding, the Missouri Tigers managed to lose the most important game of the season, and the basketball season looks challenging for the East Atchison Lady Wolves, starring not one but two granddaughters. We’ll be there in the stands cheering, but our expectations are realistic. Heck, my granddaughters are pretty good ballplayers, and I could even get a pleasant surprise at a basketball game or two.
Even after all this, I’m convinced that we farmers remain optimists at heart. We see every spring as a new opportunity. I’m working hard on my optimism game. I’m still planning on doing some major investing to make our farm more efficient. We will add grain storage and a high-tech wireless system to monitor that grain. Technology can still make sense, even when budgets are tight. We’ll enjoy installing and using the new tech in the coming year.
Finally, farming, like life, is cyclical. This year has been a challenge in a lot of ways. Next year has to be better, doesn’t it?
But as far as 2024 goes, my grandson, Levi, summed up this year perfectly. When he was 6, his aunt took him to one of those over-the-top Christmas light displays, complete with digital message board. Prior to the visit, she had texted the homeowner who could put visitor’s names up in lights. When little Levi saw his name in bright lights, he said: “That’s creepy. I want to leave.”
Me too, Levi, me too. 2024 has been quite enough.
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Blake Hurst is a Missouri Farmer and Greenhouse Operator. He is former president of the Missouri Farm Bureau and a current member of Stratovation Group’s Board of Advisors.