Beat the blues of seasonal cash crunch

Jan 24, 2020

January can be a financially tough on the farm as the post-holiday crunch is a time of high expenses and tight income.

Holiday bills are arriving on top of operational expenses like heating and grain drying, livestock feed, seed and fertilizer.

For some, these statements come as grain remains unsold in the bin or still lying in fields.

Bridging the gap

Crop insurance can assist farmers with write-off crops, but plants that will still yield will have to be harvested before farmers can finalize their claims, notes Carol Kruck, BDO senior accountant.

If short on cash, farmer and chartered accountant Lance Stockbrugger strongly recommends the cash advance programs available to producers through commodity groups.

“Also get on top of the AgriStability filings and file an interim application to help get some funds as soon as possible,” Stockbrugger says.

The deadlines or criteria for AgriStability are different in all provinces, adds Kruck, and some deadlines for interim payments have passed. In those cases, farmers can only file the final application.

Stockbrugger says it’s also a good idea for producers to access the AgriInvest funds they might have saved up during better times.

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Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.