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Already Under Financial Pressure, Midwest Soybean Farmers Are Squeezed Further by Tariffs, Iran War
Farmers say tariffs and the Iran war pushed input costs higher, while a Purdue survey found nearly half were worse off than a year ago.
- Midwest soybean farmers face persistent financial strain from rising input costs and low commodity prices, with Doug Bartek, chairman of the Nebraska Soybean Association, warning of bankruptcies and "retirement sales."
- Sweeping tariffs levied by the Trump administration in 2025 exacerbated a trade war with China, which responded by boycotting U.S. soybeans and cutting off a major export market for Midwest farmers.
- The war in the Middle East and closure of the Strait of Hormuz limited access to fertilizer ingredients, causing fuel and urea prices to spike, a disruption Seth Goldstein, a senior equity analyst at Morningstar, described as a significant commodity crunch.
- According to the American Soybean Association, farmers lost almost $75 per harvested acre of soybeans in the 2025 crop despite federal assistance, with producers remaining 15% to 20% behind normal export volumes.
- Absentee landowners are increasing rents as input costs remain high, and Paul Mitchell, a professor of agricultural and applied economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said farmers are "very concerned about negative margins driven by low prices and high cost.
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My Mother Lode
My Mother LodeTakeaways from AP and Lee’s report on how soybean farmers were impacted by tariffs, Iran war
Midwest soybean farmers have faced persistent financial headwinds in recent years, which were compounded by tariffs and the war in the Middle East, reporting from Lee Enterprises and The Associated Press found.
·Niagara Falls, Canada
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources59
Leaning Left18Leaning Right3Center27Last UpdatedBias Distribution56% Center
Bias Distribution
- 56% of the sources are Center
56% Center
L 38%
C 56%
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