Inflation leaves America’s farmers in crisis | States of America

In partnership with The Indianapolis Star, we travel to the Eastern Corn Belt region to meet grain and cattle farmers who say that they are dealing with 40% inflation. This has been one of the worst years they've experienced in decades. Because of the war in Ukraine, both diesel and fertilizer costs have more than doubled. And farmers say the stakes are high as they fear that next year could be worse. And we interview Georgetown Professor Nada Eissa to answer a question millions of Americans are asking: When will the pain from high inflation end?
» Subscribe to USA TODAY: bit.ly/1xa3XAh
» Watch more on this and other topics from USA TODAY: bit.ly/3cfg40b
» USA TODAY delivers current local and national news, sports, entertainment, finance, technology, and more through award-winning journalism, photos, videos and VR.
#Inflation #Fed #Recession

[@papasmurf1904]

Listen my farmers......I am just one person.....I am a 60 year old longhaul truck driver who worked on a farm when I was younger. But umm, I want you to know, that I love beef, pork , and chicken! I also love milk, cheese, and cottage cheese ALOT!!! I eat my veggies as well my friends! But, this hearty truck driver loves his burgers and steaks! I am just one person, but.....I appreciate you all and am doing my best to support your hard work! WE NEED YOU MAN!!! =#

[@Montross4440]

We farmers need you too bro! We in this together! ❤ Godbless

[@cottonlife]

I haul liquid fertilizer for my local farmers here in NC we all need to pray for our farmers during these hard times!

[@jennyfratzke]

God Bless dairy farmers and farmers! They work hard and love their animals and machines. ❤🙏

[@mkgr7811]

Good afternoon! I am in Ukraine and I really want to help farmers, both in Ukraine and around the world (believe me, solidarity is needed), who are engaged in feeding the people of the whole planet. Often politicians-rogue-politicians divide people to make it easier for them to manage us. I have been to many countries and graduated from the Agricultural Academy and worked in agriculture both at home and in the former Soviet agriculture. When I was young, I realized that those who do not want to work are just parasites in this life, people who work are considered stupid ... and if we talk about those who work in agriculture ... they generally name this is so (many people just think so in their heads, but they speak as if these are affectionate words addressed to farmers) cattle. My dream is to be in contact with farmers all over the world and solve our problems together.

[@rickboer7715]

In 1981 we paid interest rates of 21% and had the lowest hog prices in history Just 45 cents a pound. Well below the cost of production

[@user-tc3ou6sy5f]

Your right.......I went through this time period ! The big issue was.....people / farmer took our loans at those interest rates. Rather then hold tight...they expanded. No one to blame but themself !

[@jamesmcclanahan4091]

I sold hogs in early 97 when NAFTA when into affect for 8 cents a pound

[@user-tc3ou6sy5f]

@@jamesmcclanahan4091 I also sold calves at the local sales barn. Took two calves in .......and came back home with four calves. No one would bid on the calves. At that time I was just getting started milking cows. Milked 50 cows... on a 160 acre farm The sole income came from that farm ( no rented land ) .... wife helped at home ( no outside job) and we raise two boys. We make it ok..... its about planning and saving money !!!!

[@EmersonSalmeron]

This is great reporting.

[@AngiesByKim]

Come here to NWGa. All over Appalachia the small family farms are being replaced with Perdue, Kich, Pilgrim, loggers.

[@mohammadusman6309]

I salute each and every farmer of the union - GOD BLESS YOU AND AMERICA.

[@deegassaway6854]

🙏🙏 for farming families GOD bless you all ❤ You are needed.

[@jessec.kirkland1617]

What I don't understand is farmers can drive new trucks live in nice houses but the labors that works on the equipment barley makes enough money to live on..I grew up on a farm..got treated bad..little money..so I went to school work hard and got a pretty good job..

[@hydrodude2948]

My lease ends in 2 years I’m selling all my equipment off and I’m done with agriculture. It just makes zero sense to farm any longer. I get very little respect and my inputs are through the roof. If I raise my prices my customers throw a fit and think I’m greedy. Screw the consumers and everybody that don’t understand how difficult it is to make a living in agriculture.

[@DammyFX]

Mam am really sorry for that,

[@blakepreston9108]

It's by design

[@rickboer7715]

Support your local farmers, Buy local.

[@pandabear7426]

We have need you. Very sad story

[@sharonbaxter5479]

Great news piece. I wish everyone could view.

[@user-tc3ou6sy5f]

And the price of a combine that size at 2:50 ??? Im sure......and older cheaper combine would do the same job ! Farmers love to complain. I know.......I am a farmer......but manage money and will not complain. I understand many people in many other countries have life a lot rougher !!!!!

[@bobwelch8317]

Liquid fulvic acid made from humate, mixed with microbes, will give you a big increase in yield. This fertilizer is 80 percent cheaper than nitrogen fertilizer and is 100 percent organic!

[@vickybadwal9703]

well it may not sound good but america need to bring back ' Bare mimimum pricing" policy back and fixed new prices for crops according to today inflation thats what USA need farmers stay united and fight for it . this free market crap never for farmers anywhere in the world

[@BuckeyeFan-ty4vr]

I agree . I'm a fan of the free market. But In agriculture and a few other things . It should be regulated some.. like with the tobacco industry the government had a quota system. once they done away with that the tobacco industry pretty much crashed.

[@johnmcgrew7128]

The worldwide resource-based economy is the only hope of mankind.

[@dougtheviking6503]

Thanks Joe. The jimmy Carter playbook with a touch of Obama. My family's used to make good money on 189 acres. Now it takes 1500 better use older equipment cut corners evey where you can. Big Ag is no good for anyone.The government and big Ag sets the price.

[@jp-um2fr]

OOPS! UK Less than 10% of British food comes from the USA. I can remember the EU 'set aside' policy. Farmers were made to leave fields totally be unused, not even grazing. This obviously isn't a good for the land. I know farmers who now grow wild bird food - they make more profit that way. There is no real incentive in farming any more. There are occasionally shortages, I can't get duck eggs, the supermarket fell out with the supplier. Not exactly the end of the world, is it.

[@staceyleeann3321]

Also he’s talking about mass production of soy and corn and now we know that those two are all kinds of bad for us.

[@calvinator2525]

If you don’t like it grow your own food

[@mushtiar_Engineer]

How can apply job this Pakistan

[@jp-um2fr]

UK Less than 10% of British food comes from the USA. I can remember the EU 'set aside' policy. Farers were made to leave

[@cultleader3572]

I know 5 farmers taking out loans to pay their property tax . At the end of the season they are broke . Its going to get worse

[@TaletellerByJR]

Wow ONLY 7K Views 🤦🏾‍♂️ of course. I bet you the views would go higher if a few people start not being able to put food in their table for the kids in the family😒

[@pria7538]

If the last statement in the segment was that they need help, why not start a GoFund Me BEFORE you aired so we can donate? Americans are willing to help we just need to know how.

[@ljacres6538]

Looks like corporate greed is killing family farms, too. Seems to be a common trend, so maybe we should make a change, huh?

[@brrtool]

government induced

[@ljacres6538]

@@brrtool Yep. tRump helped destroy the farmers thanks to his ineptitude and inability to understand how tariffs work.

[@brrtool]

@@ljacres6538 bullshit im a farmer he got better trade agreements with canada, mexico, and china. along with some entirely new agreements with other countries like japan ,vietnam, and more. despite the left fighting him every turn. they even sided with china. nutty nancy sat on the usmc for a year before allowing it going forward after it had been signed by both canada and mexico costing U.S. billions in lost sales.

[@ljacres6538]

@@brrtool Feel free to read up on how he helped destroy farmers in America due to his ignorance on the subject of tariffs. He destroyed the U.S. soybean market. Compare that with the suicides of farmers across the same time. Mango Mussolini is going to prison, and did nothing good for anyone except the rich and corporations. It's sad you're part of a cult, but that loser was bad for our country, especially farmers.

[@ljacres6538]

@@brrtool A farmer you may be, but you certainly are not a grain farmer.

[@Sweetlukyakter]

Hi

[@EmersonSalmeron]

I’m sure Kentucky and Ohio government will help them anytime now.

[@Davemurray2880isaindian]

Excellent piece, could the GOP or Democrat policies to fix this be included?

[@cultleader3572]

😂😂😂

[@karylrader7159]

Too late to go back to horses? No need for diesel fuel, natural fertilizer producers. The FED raising interest rates hurts the very people it shouldn’t be hurting. The people who aren’t creating the inflation, the farmers who keep the country going.

[@wishlist123]

that's so sad sigh hope the government can do something about it

[@brrtool]

the government caused it by design

[@fruitsyfarms5115]

I think that’s the problem

[@aidencrawford3487]

Yeah, like when the government blew up a chicken house in Connecticut

[@kathyandersen8243]

Our government there is no leadership..farmers ranchers truckers trains.need help..

[@steveb796]

Tariffs didnt help. That killed farm exports.

[@brrtool]

@@steveb796 wrong this isnt from tariffs

[@steveb796]

@@brrtool then what is it from? You cant tell me that a 30.% tarriff does not get added to the price of goods. There is also a drought in texas, hurting meat production. Drought in California killing produce production, and a bird flu in the Midwest where millions of chickens and turkeys had to be slaughtered.

[@brrtool]

@@steveb796 the tariffs did in some cases get added on, but they also did good things like get better trade agreements and cause more more companies to bring back on shore manufacturing. the droughts and birdflu have nothing to do with it and are genuine reasons why herd reduction took place, cattle were sold to other area producers in non dry areas, only diseased birds were killed. no healthy crops that would produce some income were destroyed

[@steveb796]

@@brrtool trump didn’t get better trade agreements. USYMCA was functionally the same thing. He got out of the pacific deal but didn’t replace it with anything. The trade deficit in goods was up 23% under trump. Up 78% with Mexico where much of our manufacturing had been moved. Trump made it worse. 52 million birds had to be destroyed. That not only cost into supply but also is sunk costs that producers have to recoup from the remaining birds. The draught caused crops not to be planted. They knew they wouldn’t have water to irrigate so there was no reason to plant.

[@ISLANDTRUCKER]

Corporate greed

[@LynnKorte-ve4qf]

Looks like you have to much cost of your equipment,nice 800,000 combine,,now your are complaining your can't make it

[@troyupshaw7227]

GOD BLESS AMERICA and our FARMERS. We need to solve this dilemma of farm land being developed for housing. And this Abomination of mega farms owned by foreign powers. The Diesel fuel ⛽️ needs to be tax free. Should farmers pay tax??? In my opinion ""Heck NO!!" How do we correct the profit 📈 margins for our farmers?? Band together and cut corporate greed out of the equation. More farmers markets in town. If you build it they will come...

[@rodneybray3245]

😊😊

[@staceyleeann3321]

So … I was thinking … maybe big farms are the problem … small farms are better … look it up … it’s more sustainable, less soil erosion, less people to maintain it. Big farms and grocery stores could be the problem. Maybe we need to subsidize more small farmers so we can buy directly from them. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@jamessamaroo4729]

What will happen to hard-working Americans when our farmers can no longer produce food?

[@DammyFX]

Famine and hunger offcourse

[@mronion1343]

Thanks Biden…

[@hanjianwar7189]

🏗

[@hanjianwar7189]

🚴‍♂️🥗🥣🌯

[@deegassaway6854]

Let's Bail Out Farms!

[@Julian-kn5gb]

Ukraine must surrender or sing peace so the prices goes down!!!

[@XXDJOZXX]

What does it do with ukraine smh.

[@keithhoss4990]

$7.8 trillion in debt by Trump.

[@alvariuztheplug5728]

Wasn't that sloppy joe Biden? The one who's destroying your country lmao

[@jeffelmore5614]

Sarcasm or stupidity

[@roberts3697]

@phillydaveg Yes. Really.

[@brrtool]

and obama had more and dumb joe added more in just 2 years its now +31 trillion

[@johnmcgrew7128]

A worldwide resource-based economy is the only hope for mankind.

[@brucedandridge5603]

What a shame !