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Missouri farmer starts planting, cutting back costs

A central Missouri grower who started planting corn last week says he’s being very cautious this year.

Jay Fischer farms in the Missouri River bottoms near Jefferson City – where he still has broken levees from last year and, like all farmers, is watching prices for corn and soybeans plummet because of the coronavirus.

Fischer tells Brownfield Ag News he’s just trying to get by, keeping things at a bare minimum.

“I’ve cut back on my fertilizer rates some. I’m cutting back on some chemical costs. I’ve gone, not with cheap seed but with a more economical level of seed, maybe planting some older varieties. Not the latest and greatest.”

Fischer planted corn into his sandier river bottom soils but still has ground that is too wet to plant. The Missouri River got close to flood stage last week and seeped onto more of his fields.

Fischer is vice president of the Missouri Corn Growers Association.

Hear the interview below: