URBANA, Ill. (RFD-TV) — Grain farms are coming off their weakest income year in decades. Still, they are not yet facing a 1980s-style crisis, according to a new farmdoc daily analysis from the University of Illinois. Using Illinois Farm Business Farm Management data back to the 1990s, economists show 2024 farm operating income averaged a loss of $15,000, the lowest on record, after peaking at $339,000 in 2022.
Low prices and stubborn costs pushed the operating expense ratio to 0.83 in 2024, meaning operating costs consumed 83% of gross returns — the highest since 1990. Yet most farms ended 2024 with solid balance sheets: average working capital was $372,000, the current ratio was 2.47, and the debt-to-asset ratio was 0.187, which is still considered very strong.
The authors warn that another year or two of weak profitability will erode that strength. Without higher grain prices, farms will need to reduce high input costs — fertilizer, seed, pesticides, and, especially, cash rent. Younger, heavily rented operations face the most pressure, even as ad hoc payments temporarily cushion returns.
Compared with the 1980s, the study notes lower leverage, stronger financial monitoring, and more conservative borrowing, which together make a broad bankruptcy wave unlikely. Instead, lenders are expected to tighten credit, forcing cost adjustments and, in some cases, orderly exits.
Lawmakers and experts react to the Administration’s long-awaited announcement of “bridge” aid to stabilize farms and offset 2025 losses until expanded safety-net programs begin in 2026.
December 08, 2025 05:40 PM
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Joe Peiffer with Ag & Business Legal Strategies advises farmers on end-of-year financial planning, including preparing records, avoiding common credit mistakes, and evaluating equipment purchases for 2026.
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Lewie Pugh with the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) discusses the gap in truck driver education programs and how it impacts road safety and supply chain economics.
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Southern producers head into 2026 with thin margins, tighter credit, and rising agronomic risks despite scattered yield improvements.
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Record yields and exceptionally low BCFM strengthen U.S. corn’s competitive position in global markets.
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Water access—not acreage alone—is driving where irrigation expands or contracts.
December 07, 2025 12:00 PM
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Credit stress is building for row-crop farms despite steady land values and slight price improvements.
December 06, 2025 03:00 PM
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RFD-TV Farm Legal and Tax Expert Roger McEowen explains the basics of Low-Risk Credit in Farming, and how an understanding of the farm credit landscape lets producers tactfully approach debt.
December 05, 2025 02:40 PM
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