Great Bend Tribune
Published August 23, 2025
As of Tuesday, August 19th, the drought monitor report indicates abnormally dry conditions creeping into parts of Southwest and the extreme northern part of Northwest Kansas with a trace in western Pawnee County. The six-to ten-day outlook (August 26 to 30) indicates a 70 to 80% chance of likely below normal for temperatures and a 50 to 70% chance of likely above normal for precipitation. The eight to fourteen-day outlook (August 28 to September 3) indicates a 33 to 50% chance of leaning below normal for temperatures and a 33 to 50% chance of leaning above normal for precipitation. A good outlook especially for soybeans and not bad for milo. Plus, a boost as producers prepare for wheat planting.
Today, there is a great deal going on in agriculture and much of it is concerning, very concerning. Many articles use the word crisis. Agriculture is a cornerstone of the economy of Kansas. Briefly, what are these “crises?”
A recent article described the crises facing an aging ag producer population. It stated there are more producers over 75 than 25 years of age. This isn’t potential age discrimination but a warning that we simply don’t have enough people entering a career as producers. Families in rural areas are having fewer children. Only around three million people are in the business of production agriculture. Those in agriculture know they have to do a better job of recruiting nonfarm, nonrural individuals into their profession. This is made more difficult as services and amenities in rural areas decline.
There have been and continue to be articles regarding the effects of tariffs on the ag economy. Crop and livestock producers are seeing high production costs and for most the value of their production isn’t compensating for these costs. The “tariff wars” currently underway have eroded export markets for many ag commodities. A major market like China is switching importing soybeans to Brazil for example. It’s also affecting other crop along with pork and poultry markets. This is starting to lose the ag economy billions of dollars. The last time tariff conflicts happened; some export potential was permanently lost.
Labor is another major concern. Agriculture across the country, form cattle and corn to fruits and vegetables have increasing relied on immigrant labor. So, have many associated industries like meat packing and processing. The current climate has resulted in labor shortages in many sectors and agriculture. Additionally, it is becoming increasingly challenging to bring labor in through the visa program.
Land is a problem. Many companies and investors see the acquisition of farmland as a good investment and that leads to a variety of problems and higher land prices. Other potential challenges include dramatic changes to Federal farm programs, changes in SNAP, and cutbacks in wind and solar energy expansion that many producers are/were using to help them stay in business.