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Spencer Neale, a commodity and marketing specialist for the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, worried that rising costs would mean especially bad news to smaller farmers. In response. larger farms might emerge, potentially saving through economy of scale.
He added theft consuming more locally-grown crops could help the situation.
-It’s a pretty scary time for production agriculture.” Neale said. “I think people are going to have to ride it out and see what happens. But no one has a crystal ball. American agriculture’s pretty resilient.The
prices won’t stop Joe Beddow, wfyo gave up a lucrative construction career several years ago to pursue farming, his lifelong dream.
Now after farming under someone else, he wants to work his own fields. Beddow. 36, began negotiations on a 220-acre farm in Rixeyville. With land prices as high as they are, getting a $2 million loan for the land would be a challenge enough. Now the rising costs have made his dream harder than ever.
“It's a risk, it’s a game," Beddow said. “It used to be you could either run cows or do crops. Now you have to do both. If you put all jour eggs in one basket, you could ruin yourself.”
• You may contact Jason F\?ck at 825-9882 or e-mail jpeck<8>ti m espapers. com.
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