Pennsylvania farmers are about three weeks behind in the planting season due to all the wet weather we’ve had over the last two months. Consumers will feel those costs because some of the crops, like early summer corn for the 4th of July, will have to be shipped in from other states.
Higher prices at the gas pumps also have fueled increased costs on the family farm. Growers across Pennsylvania cope with spikes in their production costs. The price of everything from seed, to fertilizer, to the diesel to run their heavy equipment is up. Farmers who buy feed for their animals also feel the wallop in their wallets.
If your bill at the supermarket is much higher, though, farmers say, “Don’t blame us.” They claim food-price increases are directly related to higher oil and fuel costs. “Farmers are price takers, not price makers. Farmers have very little control over the cost of the products they raise and grow. Higher production costs, lower yields and lower prices for their products seriously threaten a farmer's ability to be profitable,” says Mark O’Neill, media relations director for the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau.
Gary Swan, governmental affairs director for the PA Farm Bureau, and Mike Flinchbaugh, son and co-owner of Flinchbaugh’s Orchard and Farm Market in Hellam, York County, will discuss farm issues tonight at 8 on Smart Talk. The Flinchbaughs manage about 1400 acres of field crops like corn, soybeans, wheat and hay, and about 20 acres of orchards where they grow peaches, apples and plums. They also have another 6-7 acres for pumpkin growing and other fall harvest produce. In 2006, they expanded with a farm market to sell to the general public. Mike says they do have some leeway in what they charge their customers, but they have to price their products very competitively in order to beat grocery and discount food stores.
As if rising costs weren’t enough of a drag on their earnings, now farmers in PA have to deal with stinkbugs and other invasive insects and plant species that can devastate their crops. Farmers are looking to lawmakers in Harrisburg for some help. They’d like to see the state legislature restore funding proposed to be cut by Gov. Tom Corbett for agricultural research and ag-extension programs at Penn State. And they want them to pass SB 899, the Family Farm Initiative and Enterprise Land Development Act, or FIELD.
Mark O'Neill says, "Many farmers, particularly multi-generational families, are looking to grow and diversify the family business by getting into agri-business -- things like farmers’ markets right on the farm, or pick-your-own crops, or agro-tourism like corn maizes. But, they have to jump through a ton of hoops to obtain zoning and building permits to the point where it's not worth the start up. This legislation looks to streamline and deregulate the process for farmers who want to grow their business through new development.”
