This is the voice of our farmers. With help from ChatGPT and Deep Research… References available upon request.
4. “How am I supposed to afford fertilizer, feed, fuel, and other inputs that have skyrocketed in cost?”
Context: The cost of farming has spiked over the past couple of years, cutting deeply into margins. Fertilizer prices in particular have been extremely high – global supply disruptions drove prices up to record levels in 2022 and 2023. Sanctions on major fertilizer exporters like Russia, export restrictions in China, and even geopolitical conflicts (one analyst noted that the “bombing of Iran” and instability in the Middle East have threatened a key source of U.S. urea fertilizer) have tightened supply. As a result, “high costs for fertilizer” are squeezing farmers. In the Corn Belt (Midwest), fertilizer can be 15% or more of a corn farmer’s expenses, so a doubling of fertilizer prices forces painful choices.
One expert calculated that the squeeze of high input costs and low grain prices means a farmer “must produce more and more corn just to pay their fertilizer costs.” Fuel and energy costs spiked with inflation as well, driving up the cost to run tractors, irrigation pumps, and dry grain.
In the Southeast, small row-crop farmers growing cotton or peanuts have seen their profit margins evaporate as input costs rose – contributing to a wave of farm bankruptcies in states like Arkansas. Livestock producers aren’t spared either: poultry and hog farmers have paid more for feed (itself tied to grain prices and fertilizer costs), and many ranchers faced higher feed costs during drought. Farmers everywhere are asking if these input costs will ever come down to normal levels. They’re looking for strategies to cut costs (like precision agriculture to use inputs more efficiently) and asking if any relief (such as fertilizer tariff waivers or fuel tax breaks) might be on the horizon. This question is fundamentally about economic survival: farmers want to know how to manage or mitigate input inflation that’s beyond their control.
5. “What will higher interest rates and tighter credit mean for my farm – will I be able to get loans or refinance debt?”
Context: The era of ultra-low interest rates is over, and farmers – who often carry significant debt for land, equipment, and operating costs – are feeling the impact. The Federal Reserve’s rate hikes in 2022–2023 have translated into much steeper borrowing costs in agriculture. In fact, interest rates on farm loans have nearly doubled in the past two years, reaching their highest levels since 2009.
For a farmer with an adjustable-rate mortgage on land or a line of credit for inputs, this can mean thousands of dollars in extra interest expenses each year. Many community banks report that about one-third of farmland loans are repricing at these higher rates in 2024, putting a strain on farmers’ ability to service debt.
In regions like the Great Plains and Midwest, where farmers often buy or rent large acreage, the combination of high land prices and high interest rates is making expansion or even maintaining current operations difficult. Young and beginning farmers are the most worried – higher interest means larger down payments and stricter lending terms, which form a barrier to entry. Even established farmers are growing cautious: surveys show that farmers have pulled back on capital investments (like new machinery) because financing costs are so high.
Many are asking if interest rates will start to come down soon (indeed, about 68% of farmers in one mid-2024 survey expected rates to decrease within a year. They’re also concerned about their credit lines heading into the next season. A Minnesota corn grower warned Congress that if low prices and high costs persist, farmers “won’t be able to cash flow” for 2024, meaning banks might refuse them operating loans.
This concern is shared nationwide: Will I be able to renew my farm operating loan? What happens if my land loan payment doubles? Farmers are urgently seeking answers and hoping for any easing of financial stress, whether through interest rate relief or loan restructuring programs.
6. “How can I protect my farm from all this extreme weather? (Droughts, floods, hurricanes – you name it, we’re getting it.)”
Context: Climate volatility has become a daily reality on American farms. In the Southeast, farmers have been pummeled by stronger and more frequent hurricanes and storms. Florida growers, for example, endured back-to-back devastating hurricane seasons – four major storms in 2023–24 caused over $3 billion in agricultural damage in Florida alone. Citrus groves were torn up, and peanut and cotton fields flooded, leaving farmers to rebuild year after year. In the Midwest, the concern might be a spring of relentless rain and flooding (as seen in 2019) or, conversely, summer flash droughts that wither corn in the fields. Even transportation is affected – recently, low water levels in the Mississippi River (exacerbated by drought) made barge shipping difficult and expensive, which in turn “contributed to lower soybean prices” for Mid-South farmers.
The Northwest and West are facing a different kind of strain: multi-year droughts, intense heat waves, and wildfires. In Oregon and Washington, farmers and ranchers have dealt with severe drought alongside wildfire smoke and heat that can decimate crops and stress livestock. This climatic whiplash is causing profound anxiety.
Farmers are asking how they can adapt – Do I need to invest in irrigation or better drainage? What crops can survive this climate? They also wonder if there will be more federal disaster aid or insurance to cover these recurrent losses (crop insurance now often factors in “prevented planting” from floods or yield losses from drought).
Mental health is part of this conversation too; as one Oregon farmer and researcher noted, the “stress and uncertainty” of climate impacts are taking a toll on farmers’ well-being. In short, no matter the region, a shared question is “How do I keep farming in the face of climate extremes?” – be it hurricanes on the Gulf Coast, mega-droughts in the West, or unpredictable growing seasons everywhere.
