For many South Dakota businesses, things are far from normal. But despite the coronavirus pandemic, many of the state’s farmers and ranchers are making plans for the upcoming season.
Charles Baron is the co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer for the Farmers Business Network. He’s had dozens of conversations recently with farmers all over the nation. So far, the virus hasn’t introduced many new factors into the business decisions farmers make.
"The challenges that they face, that the corona epidemic has created in the business environment have been manageable or typical business risks for farmers," explained Baron. "So lower prices on the corn, hog prices going down, so it’s pricing pressure thus far – it hasn’t been fundamental supply change disruption."
Baron makes light of the fact that the farming lifestyle already includes social distancing. Most farmers he’s talked with aren’t making major personal adjustments. However, Baron stated that farmers are still very concerned about the health crisis and its potential affect on the global food supply.