US Crop Farmers Struggle Amid Soaring Input Costs
US crop farmers are struggling to break even in 2026 due to soaring input costs. The price of agricultural diesel has jumped by 80 percent, reaching approximately $6 per gallon, while synthetic fertilizer costs have increased by 15 percent year-over-year.
Farmers like Rick Telesz, who raises soybeans, corn, and dairy cows on about 700 acres in western Pennsylvania, are feeling the pinch. 'Am I going to make money this year?' he asks. 'To be honest, I hope the harvest is good enough that I can pay for all those inputs I had this spring and summer.'
The rising costs of fuel and fertilizer severely impair Telesz's ability to turn a profit during the fall harvest season. 'It's a cost that a farmer can't pass on,' he says.
Trade barriers further strain margins, as exports of cotton, feed grains, pork, and beef to key markets like China remain well below historical levels. According to Chad Bown, an economist who spoke at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, 'Soybeans are coming back a little bit, but currently [China's purchases] are at much, much lower levels than they were pre-Trump 2.0.'