Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Winter is coming for farmers in the Midwest and the long, cold months will be filled with questions about how to keep producing.
Operating notes are coming due, equipment needs to be updated and the plans for next planting season are beginning, Dan Glessing, president of the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation, told UPI.
Glessing is a dairy farmer in Waverly, Minn., a small town west of Minneapolis. His family raises dairy cows but it also grows corn, soybeans, alfalfa and oats. The diversity of his operation is a strength, though he faces a number of decisions during the offseason to continue being successful.
"Everything is challenging currently," Glessing said. "You can't pivot overnight. You have to make some long-term plans because you know that agriculture ebbs and flows. It costs substantial dollars to change the way you farm."
Crop markets, especially soy, have continued to struggle without China as a primary U.S. trading partner. Glessing said a strong beef market has been a rare bright spot as other markets remain weaker.
