Iowa farm bankruptcies continue to rise, despite aid

WYOMING, Iowa — For 25 years, Joel Kurtenbach managed a successful Jones County dairy farm and was featured in trade publications for progressive business decisions, such as buying a system in 1999 that could milk 120 cows in 90 minutes.

But milk prices fell in 2017 and 2018 and his contracts dried up.

So he pivoted, selling his 500 dairy cows to a California family and converting his barns to feed cattle for beef.

“We raise them to 600 pounds and they go to feedlots in Nebraska and Colorado,” said Kurtenbach, 59, in early November. “We need one more investor worth $600,000 to keep the farm.”

Read more: https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/business/farm-bankruptcies-iowa-2020-2019-market-facilitation-program-trade-war-china-20210104
(Cedar Rapids Gazette)