Ohio State forecasts big jump in crop costs

COLUMBUS (AP) — Agriculture experts at Ohio State University say the cost of raising corn and soybeans will jump by as much of 20 percent in the state next year.

The OSU Extension says in a statement that the increase will be led by rising prices for fertilizer and seed.

Professor Barry Ward in the school’s Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics says some of those costs will be substantially higher. He says fertilizer prices are being driven up by global demand.

Ward says Ohio farmers are already making allowances for paying more for what they’ll need next year, so they won’t be caught off guard by the higher costs.