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NW Indiana | I seen these couple articles that made me wonder. First off 4 years of losses is laughable considering the 2023 insurance price was 5.91 and 13.76 but lets say 3 years in a row is true doesn't that say an operations costs to produce a bushel is too high? A survey of 5700 farmers said 70% couldn't afford all the fertilizer needed to grow this years crop? There is a big difference between not being able to afford and not showing a roi. So how bad do your numbers look?
Iowa State University estimates the cost to produce a bushel of corn in 2026 at $4.33. Current cash prices across Iowa average $4.11 per bushel — meaning farmers are losing money on every bushel they grow. For soybeans, the numbers are marginally better, but input costs are up 16–18% since 2022 while crop prices have dropped 38% over the same period. Farmers are being squeezed in both directions simultaneously, and there is no quick fix on the horizon.
This is now the fourth consecutive year of projected losses for corn and soybean growers. Many farmers cover operating costs through short-term loans that must be repaid within 12 months — and in 2026, tighter margins mean many farms have little or nothing left to reinvest after paying back those loans. Agricultural lenders surveyed in 2025 projected that fewer than 50% of U.S. farm borrowers would be profitable in 2026. When the people growing America's food can't pay their bills, everyone downstream eventually feels it.
Sources: Iowa Farm Bureau (Apr 2026) — "Are farmers struggling in 2026?"; Iowa State University cost-of-production estimates 2026
Edited by IN555 4/16/2026 07:58
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Are you losing money at these prices?
