Growing Trouble: Farm income drops as debt and machinery prices escalate
Farmers are struggling with low commodity prices and skyrocketing input costs, resulting in debt that is outpacing income across the sector, according to the USDA’s new farm income forecast.
A new farm income forecast from the Economic Research Service (ERS) is out this week, showing a several billion dollar decline from estimates earlier this year. But in a call with farm reporters, U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) said it’s still too early to tell if farmers will need a bailout.
Farm sector profits forecast to grow in 2025
USDA, Economic Research Service, Farm Income and Wealth Statistics, Data as of Sept. 3, 2025
The income forecast indicates the amount of cash farmers and ranchers have available this year, which is less than the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimated in February.
Also, a large number of borrowers are reporting trouble at the farm. New federal numbers show more banks are realizing some loans likely won’t be paid back.
Machinery Costs Break the Bank
Machinery costs are just one input cost that has increased over the last couple of years. Several universities have researchers looking into it, and they’ve found a 10% jump for some models.
Now that Washington lawmakers have passed a 45-day stopgap, they have some breathing room to work through some hot-button topics like the high cost of the upcoming Farm Bill, which is due in large part to the funding necessary to support the Nutrition Title.
To mark the end of National Chicken Month, we take a look at how the U.S. poultry industry is making a slow and steady recovery following the widespread outbreak of High-Path Avian Flu (HPAI) in 2022 that devastated commercial flocks across the country.
Seven out of the eight major fertilizers saw recent price decreases. However, one key type of fertilizer bucked the overall trend with an 11-percent rise.
Dr. Tim Boring with the Michigan Department of Agriculture shed light on the current challenges and opportunities impacting farmers across the State in a conversation with RFD-TV’s own Tammi Arender at the NASDA Annual Meeting this week in Wyoming.
Researchers at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute found human sewage, not fertilizer, is mainly responsible for dangerous nitrogen levels in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon.
Check out some of the livestream highlights from Elimination Match 2 of the B&W Trailer Hitches Challenge Cup Presented by 5-hour ENERGY®, the first of four events in the second year of the Fishing Clash Team Series.
Check out some of the livestream highlights from Elimination Match 2 of the B&W Trailer Hitches Challenge Cup Presented by 5-hour ENERGY®, the first of four events in the second year of the Fishing Clash Team Series.
Bass Pro anglers Ron Nelson and Martin Villa of Team O’Reilly Auto Parts secured the win in Elimination Match 2 of the B&W Trailer Hitches Challenge Cup, thanks to a dominant final frame on the lower St. Clair River.
Check out some of the livestream highlights from Challenge Elimination Round 1 on St. Claire Lake in Port Huron, Michigan. This is the first of four Cups in the Fishing Clash Team Series, which you can catch LIVE only on RFD-TV.
