Indiana producers face rising property taxes, fuel and fertilizer costs

With Hoosier farmers facing sharply higher production costs in 2006, the fervent hope is that property taxes do not increase as well. However, as the General Assembly ponders property tax relief for homeowners, there is concern that other property taxpayers, such as farmers, may wind up paying for some of that relief.

Chris Mann, a grain and hog farmer near Cloverdale in Putnam County, Ind., said fuel and fertilizer costs will go up at least 20 percent in 2006, compared to last year. Over the last 10 years, those costs have more than doubled. “In order to cope,” Mann said, “we have to find additional ways to cut input costs, machinery costs, feed costs for the hogs, and so forth. We have do everything we can to minimize our input costs. But if things keep going up, there’s not much more to cut.”

Mann, who farms with his father, Fred, and three brothers, said LP gas, which is used for a variety of heating and drying operations on their farm, is another cost that has doubled in the past 10 years.” Our property taxes have doubled in the last 10 years, too,” Mann said. “We certainly don’t need to see any increase in property taxes now. We just don’t know what kind of yields we’ll get on our crops, nor the prices we’ll receive,” he explained.

The situation is similar for Franklin County, Ind., farmers Jeff and Jill Koch, who have a breed-to-wean hog operation, raising baby piglets from birth to about 21 days old and then selling them to other producers who grow them to market weight.

Brownfield