Chad Hart, associate professor, was interviewed for a March 20, 2019, Ohio's Country Journal story, "Farms on the Margins."
“While things haven’t been great, they also haven’t been extremely bad, either. Farmers who were just getting by in 2016 have continued to get by 2017 and 2018.” Data on loans and other financial indicators are a “muddy mess,” and hiding some significant problems in agriculture, Hart said. “When we look at the industry averages, we look fine,” Hart said. “It’s hard to argue looking at the loan-repayment rates—we’re in good shape—debt-to-asset ratios across the industry are looking good, but when you burrow down into a region of the country, or a specific commodity itself, then you see there is a larger group of folks out there.”
Hart also commented on farm losses due to flooding in southwestern Iowa in the March 20 Scottsbluff Star Herald.
The water rose so quickly that farmers in many areas had no time to get animals out, said Chad Hart, an agricultural economist at Iowa State University. "Places that haven't seen animal loss have seen a lot of animal stress. That means they're not gaining weight and won't be marketed in as timely a manner, which results in additional cost," he said.
The story was also covered by:
Dairy Business
Dairy Agenda Today
Agrinews