Quad City Area farmers give an outlook to 2023

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. (KWQC) - The Quad Cities Farm Show attracts people in the agriculture industry from around the midwest, all getting ready for the upcoming planting season

Many farmers at the show said it’s too early to tell how the warmer weather this January may affect their operations. One common concern, however, was how many pests may have survived the winter.

while many in the QCA may have enjoyed the light snow and warmer weather the new year has brought, some farmers are growing a little worried.

Wheatland, Iowa farmer, Ken Beuthien, said he and others actually need the snow and the cold.

“The planting season will be okay,” said Beuthien “What concerns me about as warm as it’s been is we need the cold air to kill the bugs from last year. I don’t think we’re getting that job done this year.”

The father and son duo of Rick and Philip Blumhoff operate in Lyndon, Illinois They said they’ve experienced a drier winter than the metro QC.

“As the winter goes on, a lot can change in the next, month or two,” Philip said. “We’ll just kind of have to see, what nature brings.”

Another thing that may impact the planting season is the prices of materials. Dan Higgins runs Higgins farms. He said many farmers haven’t felt relief from some of last year’s high costs.

“[Costs] definitely is an issue still. Seed prices have actually went up even a little bit farther than what they were last year,” Higgins said. Chemical prices have came down a little bit but it’s still tougher ... the margins are still there if you manage things correctly, but it’s getting slimmer and slimmer. That’s for sure.”

Depending on how the warmer weather holds up, many farmers said they may have to shift their planting windows up, but it is still too early to tell.

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