NASHVILLE, TENN. (RFD NEWS) — Thin margins, high input costs, and market uncertainty continue to weigh on producers as concerns grow over the loss of family farms across the country.
Steven McBee Jr. of McBee Farm & Cattle Company joined us on Friday’s Market Day Report to discuss the challenges facing producers and the economic pressures reshaping agriculture.
In his conversation with RFD News anchor Eliza Petry, McBee expressed how many family farms are struggling to navigate a difficult farm economy marked by rising costs, tight margins, and ongoing uncertainty.
“It’s putting a squeeze on all of the operators in our area financially and also mental health-wise,” McBee said. “You want to talk about going out there every single day and knowing that no matter how you cut it, putting pen to paper, the math is not mathing out right now. It is break-even at best, and that’s if you have good weather conditions.”
He said many producers are hoping that favorable weather can help carry them through another difficult season.
“We’re just praying for good weather this growing season and hopefully be able to make it out of here and have a potentially better 2027 season,” he said.
Mental Health Remains a Growing Concern
McBee also addressed the mental health challenges facing farmers and ranchers, noting the unique pressures associated with agriculture.
“Farming is a top-five suicide-rate occupation,” McBee said. “You’re in an isolated environment away from everyone, working long hours seven days a week. Farming doesn’t care how you’re feeling personally or professionally—you have to do the work no matter what’s going on.”
He said producers face a combination of factors largely outside their control, including weather, commodity markets, trade disputes and the pressure of carrying on a family legacy.
“There is nothing weak about asking for help,” McBee said. “Whether it be family, friends or even a professional therapist, whatever you can do to help take on the challenges that we face in our industry. There’s nothing weak about it, and you are not alone in the battle.”
Cattle Producers Face Different Challenges
While cattle prices remain historically strong, McBee said challenges still exist for producers looking to expand their herds.
“Even though prices are high right now on the beef side, you’ve got to have the grass to feed them,” he said. “Grass prices are rising through the roof, and we’re concerned about drought.”
McBee said some producers would like to grow their operations but lack adequate pasture and forage resources.
“Even though farmers and ranchers are wanting to grow their herd because it’s a good time price-wise, they don’t have the land or the grass to be able to do it,” he said.
Farmland Conversion Raises Concerns
McBee also weighed in on the growing debate surrounding farmland conversion for data centers and other development projects.
“It’s very double-edged,” he said. “It may bring in additional taxes to improve the infrastructure of a small town, but if you look at the actual investment into a data center versus how many jobs it creates, it’s actually very automated.”
McBee expressed concerns about the loss of productive farmland and competition for resources such as water.
“There is a lot more negative than positive when it comes to these data centers going into rural areas,” he said. “We don’t have farmland factories. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.”
Bringing Agriculture to a Broader Audience
McBee also discussed his television series, The McBee Dynasty, saying the show offers an opportunity to highlight the realities of modern farming and ranching.
“The first step in figuring out a solution to a problem is identifying that there is a problem,” McBee said. “By reality TV, we’re bringing more eyeballs into the farming and ranching community and showcasing the fight that every farmer and rancher across America is facing.”
He said raising awareness about the challenges facing agriculture is an important step toward helping consumers better understand the industry’s role in producing the nation’s food supply.
