Farm incomes are down significantly from highs seen just two years ago, and those declines are having an impact across entire rural communities.
Brady Peterson, who owns a restaurant in rural Kansas, says his business began to suffer just as farms in his community did. With falling commodity prices, the end of government aid, and higher borrowing costs for farmers, Peterson told Reuters he has had to cut expenses because his usually bustling diner has fallen silent.
A gun shop owner in another part of Kansas says it is not quite a ghost town, but he has seen firsthand the impact of the declining farm economy.
