NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RFD-TV) — Southern row-crop producers closed 2025 facing another season marked by weather extremes, tight margins, and shifting acreage decisions — a combination that kept many farms near or below breakeven for the third consecutive year. For growers across the region, higher production costs and persistently weak commodity prices continued to outweigh localized yield gains.
Extension economists from Alabama to Texas report similar themes. Widespread prevented planting, late-season drought, and new pest pressures — including the expanding cotton jassid — lowered yield potential and added to input and management costs. Even where corn, cotton, peanut, or soybean yields exceeded five-year averages, many producers struggled to capture price rallies due to limited storage, early harvest timing, or cautious marketing strategies.
Financial stress intensified as producers faced negative returns, high interest expenses, and tighter credit standards. Several states highlighted growing concerns about depleted working capital and multi-year operating debt that will carry into 2026 — especially on row-crop-focused farms without livestock income to offset losses.
Acreage patterns shifted notably. Corn gained ground at the expense of cotton in multiple states, while peanuts expanded in Georgia, and rice acreage climbed in Louisiana. Soybeans held their footprint in some areas but declined sharply in others amid lower prices and early-season weather delays.
Looking ahead, Extension specialists warn that producers will enter 2026 with elevated cost structures, uncertain price trends, and heightened reliance on ad hoc assistance, making crop insurance, rotations, and marketing discipline critical for financial survival.
Farm-Level Takeaway: Southern producers head into 2026 with thin margins, tighter credit, and rising agronomic risks despite scattered yield improvements.
Tony St. James, RFD-TV Markets Specialist
RanchHER Season 2, Episode 7
Premieres Tue, 10/22/24 – 9 PM ET | 8 PM CT | 7 PM MT | 6 PM PT
October 17, 2024 06:01 PM
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Janie joined Suzanne Alexander on RFD-TV’s Market Day Report to discuss the mid-season premiere of RanchHER. She also shared some exciting personal news that has deepened her respect for the powerful female ranchers featured on the show.
October 17, 2024 02:42 PM
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Premieres Tue, 10/22/24 – 9 PM ET | 8 PM CT | 7 PM MT | 6 PM PT
October 14, 2024 10:49 AM
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FarmHer Morgan Flowers combines her legal background with a love for cheese making at Flowers Creamery in Ethridge, Tennessee.
October 10, 2024 12:25 PM
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FarmHER and expectant mother Stephanie Stade-Townsend showcases her family’s thriving agritourism destination just outside Chicago.
October 02, 2024 05:26 PM
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FarmHER Debra Lockard joined us Friday on the Market Day Report to discuss her upcoming show episode, which premieres on Tuesday, October 1 at 9:00 PM ET, only on RFD-TV!
September 30, 2024 11:03 AM
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Meet FarmHER Debra Lockard, a third-generation Tennessee produce grower who splits her time running two farms in West Tennessee and teaching ag classes that promote sustainable farming practices in her Memphis community.
September 26, 2024 05:55 PM
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FarmHER Kate Hitchcock joined us on the Market Day Report to discuss the upcoming episode of the show where Kirbe and the crew visit her family’s produce operation in California’s Salinas Valley, which premieres tomorrow, Sept. 24 at 9 PM ET only on RFD-TV.
September 23, 2024 02:01 PM
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The FarmHER crew catches up with fifth-generation California sweet baby broccoli producer Kate Hitchcock and her team in the middle of the harvest season in the Salinas Valley.
September 18, 2024 12:05 PM
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