OPINION: America’s farm crisis won’t stay on the farm
By Rex Huppke, USA TODAY
American farmers are describing financial pressures reminiscent of the devastating 1980s farm crisis, writes USA TODAY opinion columnist Rex Huppke. Drawing on interviews with farmers, economists and agricultural advocates, he documents a growing squeeze from expensive seeds, fertilizer, equipment and fuel, alongside crop prices that fail to cover costs. Chapter 12 family farm bankruptcies rose 46% in 2025, with financial distress continuing this year.
The damage extends beyond individual farms. In Minnesota’s Big Stone County, which once supported roughly 400 dairy farms, farmers say the last dairy cows disappeared this year. As farms consolidate and fewer families remain, local businesses close, schools merge and generations of agricultural knowledge risk being lost. Many remaining farmers depend on outside jobs for income and health insurance.
Huppke argues that political praise for farmers has failed to produce adequate action, pointing to Congress’s failure to pass a new Farm Bill since 2018. Today’s conditions differ from those of the 1980s, but the warning signs demand attention. His column calls for more stable markets, action against agricultural monopolies and support for sustainable farming before further losses become irreversible.
