By Hope Kirwan, Harvest Public Media Corn and soybean farmers have faced negative profit margins for two years, with fertilizer, fuel and borrowing costs expected to climb further in 2026. Economists say today’s downturn differs from the 1980s because farms carry less debt and have access to crop insurance, safety-net programs and billions in emergency federal…
High land costs, rising inputs and weak pricing power force most new producers to rely on off-farm jobs.
Rick Clark told Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that reducing synthetic inputs can improve farm profitability, but education, lending rules and crop insurance remain barriers to adoption.
Farm Action says the egg settlement lets dominant producers treat alleged price fixing as a business expense, not real accountability.
The New York Times profiles a Pennsylvania family preparing to sell their last herd of dairy cows.
International institutions say oil, gas and fertilizer spikes will hit vulnerable, import-dependent economies hardest.
Record heat and vanishing soil moisture threaten planting season, with beef prices already climbing.
A Politico article says declining farmer sentiment, rising bankruptcies, and trade disruptions are putting pressure on rural Republicans ahead of the midterm elections.
Farm Action argues that billions in government food purchases should be redirected toward independent and regional producers.
With grain prices depressed and costs high, U.S. growers see planting lots of corn as their best shot at breaking even in 2026.