The year 2020 was uniquely challenging for grain farmers across the region, state, and globe.

Grain Market Advisor Justin Hibner with Two Rivers Cooperative says this past year’s planting season started with COVID-19 closures that drove down demand, and the supply was significantly hit by drought and the August derecho that ripped through central and eastern Iowa. However, he said prices have rebounded despite those hurdles due to concerns internationally in other markets, and there are many profitable operations because of those changes.

Hibner says 2020 taught everyone involved in agriculture that severe risks remain and can happen unexpectedly, and he reminds all producers to have adequate information and protection in risk management.