A survey conducted by Purdue University on Tuesday concludes that around 30% of farmers who have grown wheat and soybeans in a single season plan to sow more winter wheat this fall. This practice is called double-cropping wheat and soybeans and is expected to tone down food disruption caused by the Russian-Ukraine conflict.
According to James Mintert and Micheal Langemeier, double-cropping is more profitable, especially when Russia and Ukraine are occupied, which both have the largest supplies of wheat to the international market. In addition, wheat import from the Black Sea region is also disrupted for the Middle Eastern and North African countries due to the Russian blockade, which means more profit in double-cropping.
With the current prices of soybean and wheat the highest ever, double-cropping can bring good incentives to US farmers in their 2023 yields. Large farm production and double-crops will be encouraged by the three steps announced by President Biden. The steps would enable 1935 counties for double-cropping, which were previously 681.
Expert advice will also be sought by the administration to streamline its $500M grant program for the expansion of independent fertilizer production and, consequently, an easier method for farmers to have professional advice.
In May, the Ag Economy Barometer recorded its lowest reading in 02 years – 99. This reading reflects the farmers’ response to the rising inflation rates and the increasing input costs.
The barometer gives its results based on telephone surveys conducted by 400 operators with an error margin of 5%. The operators prioritize producers of %500,000 or more per year, and from 16th to 20th May, 7.4% of the largest US farms produced around the said figure.