Green grass. Newborn calves. Tractors and planters rolling across freshly plowed soil. As agriculturalists, we love these signs of spring.

Unfortunately, Missouri’s farmers and ranchers face challenges this spring before they ever put a seed in the ground. High fertilizer and fuel costs are adding to an already difficult time as farmers struggle to secure inputs and equipment.

These challenges might leave some producers asking if they should even plant in 2022. I encourage you to keep the faith.

The farming community has proven time and again that we are resilient.

When there is a flood, we clean up and replant.

When a calf dies, we rebreed.

Now, we face another obstacle, but we must keep pushing forward.

Pressure point for agriculture

Never before has Missouri agriculture been so critical to the food security of our nation and of the world.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine affects American agriculture with regard to fertilizer and crude oil prices, but also realize that area of the globe is a major breadbasket.

Ukraine is a major supplier of wheat, as much as 14% of the world’s exports. Russia is threatening to halt exports of wheat, corn, rye and barley. Other nations, meaning other farmers, will stand in the gap to replace those products.

Bright spots for markets

Soybean harvest in Brazil is underway, but it is facing intense weather pressure, which has affected yields. Drought in the southern part of that nation has also played a role in the amount of product harvested. Stored American soybeans are more competitive on the international market.

Beef exports in January remained red-hot, up 13% from a year ago. Export value to South Korea set a new record, and strong increases were also realized in the Far East and Central America.

China imports more corn than any nation in the world, by some margin. As China continues to repopulate its swine herds, the nation’s need for corn will continue. Brazil, Argentina, Ukraine and the U.S. account for nearly 90% of the corn exported to the world market. Drought in Brazil and Argentina, plus the war in Ukraine, will increase the demand for U.S. corn.

Farmers meet food demand

The sheer diversity of agriculture is another reason Missouri farmers continue to play such a major role in global food security.

Missouri agriculture is in a prime spot to help fill the demand. Ranking third in the country for beef, our cattlemen and women are already leaders in beef production. The 2021 soybean crop was on track to set records right up to the time of harvest.

We still saw excellent yields, even taking into account flooding in some of the most fertile bottom ground because of a 10-day spring rainfall. Although Missouri isn’t a major wheat player compared to other states, producers harvested nearly 500,000 acres last year.

You have heard me say it before, but I will continue to brag that Missouri ranks in the top 10 nationally in 14 different commodities, and it is a diverse offering — beef, rice, cotton, soybeans, turkeys, hogs, chickens and corn. Following the next agriculture census, we will likely add peanuts to that list.

Stay the course

Farmers and ranchers must continue to produce the same quality products, whether protein or plant, so that we receive the most return possible on the investment. We produce more with less every year. The efficiencies of the American farmer are tremendous. That will be key as producers manage risk in 2022.

There is no way to know how long fertilizer prices will remain at double, and triple in some areas, the price of last year. Thankfully, crude oil prices leveled off in mid-March. I hope those prices will continue to drop in April.

Spring is here. It’s time to plant; time to make breeding decisions. I encourage you to keep the faith. Missouri is positioned to play an even larger role in feeding and fueling the world.

Perhaps Will Rogers said it best: “The farmer has to be an optimist, or he wouldn’t still be a farmer.”

Chinn is the director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture and a hog producer from Clarence, Mo.