NASHVILLE, TENN. (RFD-TV) — Producers are closing out 2025 facing deep financial losses and no approved disaster aid from Washington, even as projected income shortfalls exceed last year’s. High input costs and weak commodity prices are squeezing margins across nearly every major crop, leaving many farms relying on operating credit and off-farm income to bridge into 2026.
Analysis from Dr. Bart Fischer at Texas A&M’s Agriculture and Food Policy Center shows all major commodities tracked by USDA are projected to lose more than $100 per acre this year, with rice losses roughly doubling last year’s levels. Soybeans are the lone crop with slightly better price prospects thanks to a new trade agreement with China, yet projected returns remain firmly negative.
On the ground, growers are wrestling with cash-flow shortfalls, bigger operating loans, and pressure from rising land rents and stubborn input costs. After eight years of ad hoc disaster aid, many producers are wary of more one-off checks, but see few alternatives in the current price environment.
Regions heavily dependent on row crops are feeling the most acute strain, while specialty crops such as sugar also face substantial losses that fall outside traditional commodity support benchmarks. Meanwhile, lingering trade uncertainty continues to cloud export-driven areas.
Looking ahead, the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act (OBBBA) will strengthen the farm safety net beginning with the 2025 crop year, but most payments won’t arrive until October 2026. Without interim assistance, Fischer warns the gap between current losses and future support could force more restructuring, asset sales, or exits from farming.
Farm-Level Takeaway: 2025 row-crop losses are outpacing last year. With no disaster aid yet approved, many operations face a tough financial bridge to 2026 even as Farm Bill improvements remain a year away.
Tony St. James, RFD-TV Markets Specialist
As I try to catch up on my writing after being on the road for a lengthy time, I have several recurring themes in my legal work. Another potpourri of random ag law and tax issues — that is the topic of today’s Firm to Farm blog post by RFD-TV Agrilegal Expert Roger McEowen.
October 31, 2023 02:21 PM
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Splenda’s new stevia farm in Florida is the first of its kind in the United States. Thousands of plants produce millions of leaves that are then turned into plant-based stevia sweetener products. But how do they get the sweet stuff out?
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What does Splenda have to do with farming? Sweeteners like monk fruit and stevia are plant-based — so they are just not sugar, but are comprised of those other plants also grown on farms.
October 30, 2023 09:00 AM
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Many turn to the online resale market when economic times are uncertain, buying items for cheaper prices or selling quality items for extra money. Reselling secondhand items is also an efficient way to declutter and get some cash back for valuable items you no longer need.
October 13, 2023 04:57 PM
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With 2023 projected to be a difficult year for agricultural producers, Chapter 12 filings may increase. One of the requirements to get a Chapter 12 reorganization plan approved is that be filed in “good faith.” In this blog post, RFD-TV Legal Contributor Roger A. McEowen explains exactly what farmers need to know about the process.
October 04, 2023 02:57 PM
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The failure of a grain elevator can cause large problems for farmers and for the local community it serves. A farmer who knows their rights and where they stand if an elevator fails can be in a better position than those farmers who aren’t as well informed. That is the topic of today’s blog post by RFD-TV Legal Contributor Roger A. McEowen.
October 04, 2023 02:46 PM
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Financial matters in farming can be frustratingly complicated, especially when it comes to the process of filing for bankruptcy. That is the topic tackled in today’s blog post by Farm-Legal Expert Roger A. McEowen—the definition of “insolvency” for purposes of the exclusion from income of CODI.
October 04, 2023 02:14 PM
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The “farm products rule,” and the 1985 Farm Bill modification and its application – that is the topic of today’s blog post from Agri-Legal Expert Roger McEowen.
October 03, 2023 02:43 PM
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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.
October 03, 2023 11:08 AM
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