Burton Farm Forced to Cut Production as Farming Costs Climb

A Burton farm is making some difficult changes as rising diesel, fertilizer and equipment costs make it harder to turn a profit.

A Burton Farm Is Changing Course

Kelly Walker was born on Walker Farm, which makes shutting down parts of the operation especially difficult. He says the bottom line is making enough money to stay in business, and sometimes that fight gets to be too much.

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ABC 12 reports that diesel prices have become a major problem for farmers, with the national average recently reaching a record $6.27 a gallon. Much of modern farming equipment runs on diesel, meaning higher fuel prices quickly become higher costs for farmers.

Even Sweet Corn Costs More to Produce

For Walker, that meant closing the farm’s greenhouses and ending production of flowers and vegetable plants, products customers had come to expect for decades. Even sweet corn, one of the farm’s most popular crops, has gotten more expensive. Walker says he raised the price by 30 cents just to try to break even because of higher diesel and fertilizer costs.

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He says rising prices for agricultural parts, including costs connected to tariffs between the United States and Canada, are adding even more pressure. Walker says he isn't trying to hurt customers' wallets, he's simply trying to keep the farm in business.

Farmers Feel It First, Consumers Follow

Michigan State University Extension Farm Business Management Educator Jonathan LaPorte says farmers are feeling those higher production costs first, but consumers will eventually feel them too.

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LaPorte compared it to going down a snowy hill. Costs can rise quickly, he says, but when those costs eventually come back down, they tend to move much more slowly. For Walker, the hope is that making these painful cuts now will help keep the farm going.