Prices for crops high, harvest chances slim

The Dickensian joke making the rounds among Northern Colorado farmers these days goes like this:

"These are not the best of times nor the worst of times in Northern Colorado agriculture - but you can see them from here."

Futures prices for corn, for instance, have reached the robust level of $2.55 per bushel, up 25 percent from last year. Signs of rising prices earlier in the spring persuaded a number of growers to increase their corn commitments. Consequently, corn acreage in the region is up about 20 percent, according to one observer.

But it could all prove to be a cruel tease for area farmers, who now stand under a cloud of drought.

"The price is really picking up and it looks good," said Wayne Gustafson, vice president of agronomy for Agland Inc., the Eaton-based farm cooperative. "Now the biggest concern is if we're going to have a crop that will capitalize on the pricing."

Mark Sponsler, director of agronomic services for Colorado Corn, was more blunt.