Early harvest leaves extra time for financial planning

By Matt Reese and Dale Minyo

While there have been many challenges in 2024, one bright spot is the early conclusion of harvest, which allows more time for planning before the end of the year.

“We’ve heard about yields being more variable than we have in previous years. It’s brought some challenges and some uncertainty. Fortunately, overall, we’re hearing it’s a little better than had been expected,” said Brock Burcham, regional vice president for Farm Credit Mid-America (FCMA). “And harvest is getting done early, which could give us additional time to be more prepared for the 2025 season.”

The relatively early date of completing harvest for many farms allows time to find strategies to reduce expenses.

“We are still early in the whole planning cycle. In many operations we can start sharpening the pencil and looking forward. Hopefully it will give us time to really hone in on the historical costs of inputs.… Continue reading