Farmers had good crops and high cattle prices in 2001

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Posted 7:58AM on Tuesday, January 22, 2002

GADSDEN, Ala. - Strong yields in cotton, soybeans and corn made 2001 a successful year for Alabama farmers, county agents said. The year 2001 brought the best overall yields in recent memory, said Etowah County agent Tinsley Gregg. One of the crops may have had a better year in the past, but there hasn't been a time Gregg could recall when cotton, soybeans and corn did so well. "I don't remember when all three were as high as they were -- ever," Gregg said. Prices were up for cattle farmers most of the year, and row crop prices were down. "It was an outstanding year," Gregg said. "We had some of the best yields we've ever had for everything. This is the best we've had in years and years." Favorable weather helped beef farmers because their cattle had a healthy amount of hay and grazing pasture while cattle prices were up, he said. Cattle sold at their highest in the last 10 years, said Walt Prevalt, an agricultural economist at Auburn University. But prices fell off some in autumn as farmers took their herds to markets. Prices typically drop in the fall, but the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks also had an impact in the decline, said Denny Childress, an owner of the Sand Mountain Stockyard in Kilpatrick. Low prices in row crops and hay also helped cattle farmers by reducing their expenses, Childress said. Beef prices have been strong over the last few years after hitting lows in 1995 and 1996. Beef consumption in the United States was up 5 percent last year, said Chuck Howard, county extension coordinator for Marshall County. "It was a great year if you were selling cattle, but boy if you were trying to increase your herd, it wasn't that good," Howard said. The state's top cattle-producing counties were Cullman with 70,000 head of cattle, DeKalb with 51,000 head and Marshall with 42,000. Last year was a big improvement over 2000, when a cold winter, hot summer and a lack of rain hurt farmers, said DeKalb County agent Steve Martin. Cotton prices are the lowest in history -- including the Great Depression -- when adjusted for buying power, said Bob Goodman, an agriculture economist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Going into 2002, crop farmers are "upbeat" about planting another crop but pessimistic about prices, said Cherokee County agent David Derrick. "You don't need to be all gloom and doom, the farmers had a good year, they raised a good crop and they like that," Goodman said. "They're proud of the crop they raised."