Time of challenge for farmers

Jim Zamrzla operates a cow-calf operation on a farm south of Wilson. He also grows milo, wheat and soybeans. And like other Kansas farmers, he’s faced with challenges. While farming can often be a gamble, this year is different. Too much rain last fall, a wet winter and heavy rains again this spring have made it tough to even get into the field. Farmers are either finding themselves scrambling to get crops planted, or finding their fields still drying out after being submerged. “It’s been a challenge,” Zamrzla, a member of the Ellsworth County Farm Bureau Board, said.“I planted a lot before those 7- and 8-inch rains last fall, but then I was forced to replant.

The wheat looks really good. But now, with all this moisture, it’s put us behind planting spring crops.” “The wheat will be hard to get to, but we thought that last fall with the milo crop … it would be nice to have a balance.” Winter weather not only made it tough for calving, but colder temperatures dramatically cut into Zamrzla’s hay supply as all of his cattle needed more feed, especially those expecting. “We use milo stalks for grazing in the winter, but we couldn’t do that this year,” he said.“The weather definitely cut into our hay supply.” “The hay right now is at its best for protein. The moisture is good, but at this point, it’s also detrimental.”

In June, the president signed longawaited disaster legislation, providing a lifeline to farmers, ranchers and producers dealing with flooding and other natural disasters in 2018 and 2019.

But even before heavy rains fell, Ellsworth County farmers were already dealing with low market prices and the uncertainty of a trade war.

Last summer, China, which buys almost a third of American soybeans, placed a 25 percent tariff on the crop as payback for U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports. While China resumed buying some soybeans earlier this year, they recently announced halting those purchases after the president agreed to step up tariffs again.

Agriculture makes up a sizeable chunk of Ellsworth County’s economy. In fact, agriculture, including the food and food-processing sectors, support 642 jobs, or a little more than 18.14 percent of the entire county’s workforce. State agriculture officials reported the industry contributes roughly $103.4 million, or nearly 36 percent of Ellsworth County’s economy. Some of the county’s biggest ag-related industries include beef cattle ranching and farming, grain farming as well as other animal production and crop farming.

John Donley, an attorney and Ellsworth rancher who manages his own commercial cowherd and stocker operation, said the difficulties producers are currently up against are nothing new.

“Agriculture is facing some challenging times from Mother Nature to challenging markets in some instances; however, this is something most farmers and ranchers are used to facing,” Donley said. “While Ellsworth County is fortunate to have a wide variety of economic drivers, I think it is safe to say that the overall local economy is greatly influenced by the strength of the agricultural economy.”

While a trade war could have farreaching effects for farmers, Zamrzla doesn’t agree.

“Personally, in my opinion, I don’t feel tariffs hurt that much,” he said. “Grain prices were low because of surplus. I think the weather could help prices and get rid of that surplus. On the other hand, if I can’t get in the field to harvest, I don’t have the bushels to sell.”

“I do feel things are looking brighter. Yes. It’s tough in a lot of ways, but something like this could burn up the surplus.”