But farmers face some challenges

While commodity prices have seen big increases in the past couple of years, farmers still face challenges.

"The volatility of the input prices make it a real challenge," said Dave Varner, extension educator with the University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension in Dodge County.

"The stakes are higher now," he added.

Farmers have seen the cost of fertilizer triple over the past few years, he said. Additionally, the cost of seed and fuel have grown rapidly.

"Commodity prices did rise rapidly the past couple of years," Varner said. "But the input costs have rapidly caught up. It’s a challenging time."

There are many dollars invested into this year’s crop, he said.

While farmers wait to begin the harvest, some already have made an investment into the future.

Managers at both Platte Valley Equipment Co. and Victor’s Inc., two Fremont implement dealers, have seen increased demand for new equipment.

But the local demand isn’t as strong as in other parts of the Midwest, said Matt Lamb, general manager at Platte Valley.

"Our sales are up," he said. "It’s not probably as aggressive as some dealers outside (our area)."

"The demand is up," said Brad Victor of Victor’s. "The demand is always there from the larger farmers. Some of the smaller farmers are now thinking about buying new equipment."

Both Lamb and Victor said supply of farm equipment is tight.

"John Deere is sold out for the next 12 months," Lamb said.

Victor said Case-IH isn’t shipping products to dealers unless it’s already sold, meaning he doesn’t have a chance to build an inventory.

Part of that is because the global market for farm equipment is good right now. The weak dollar has made American-made equipment competitive with the rest of the world.

"They’re able to do so much more for the dollar," Victor said, pointing out he often sees 25 to 30 Case-IH combines on trains heading to the East Coast to be shipped overseas.

Still, Victor said, some farmers are waiting to make decisions on purchases.

"We consistently sold some combines in August when they knew what the harvest was going to be," he said. "Now it’s after harvest (that they’re making those decisions)."

Some farmers who might have considered making equipment purchases earlier in the year are probably going to wait to make a decision now, Varner said.

"What may have looked like a great year in the spring, today may not look as good," he said.

A wet spring and flooding in some areas left farmers waiting to put in crops. Summer storms decimated the crops of other farmers.

"We really don’t know what we’ll have for another month or two," Varner said.

There are some big decisions ahead for farmers that could play a big role in how they do business in the future, Varner said. The new farm bill and sign ups are coming, he said.

As always, farming can be a challenge, and that isn’t about to change.