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Globally, farmers face many challenges

If predictions are correct and there will be 9 billion people on this planet by 2050, farmers around the world will need to double current production. Many face challenges today that could limit that expansion. Farmers from several countries spoke about those challenges they face during the recent Bayer CropScience Corn Soy Future Forum held in Frankfurt, Germany.

Farmers in Ukraine are in the midsts of a civil war. In France, farmers are restricted on the amount of fertilizer they use and crops they can raise. Farmers in South African lack of access to capital. Argentine farmers are suffering through 50% inflation, 30% interest rates.

Kip Tom, managing member of Tom Farms, Leesburg, Indiana was one of the presenters at the forum. He tells Brownfield that farmers in the United States actually have it pretty good. “We all share some of the same challenges: government and weather. At the end of the day, there’s much more significant cultural and financial challenges for many others around the world. We need to embrace how good we’ve got it and we need to preserve the environment that we produce in today.”

Tom said farmers in the United States need to make sure those who work on their farms are educated on the new and changing technologies.

Tom is optimistic about the future of the family farm in the U.S. Over 99% of the farms in the U.S. are family farms and it is important to him to have a sustainable plan, to make sure a succession plan is in place so Tom Farms can remain a family farm.

“We want to prepare and leave our land that we’ve had the benefit to use better for the next generation and for those that come after.”

AUDIO:  Conversation with Kip Tom.