Midwest Soybean Farmers Struggle Amid Rising Costs and Low Prices

Mon Apr 13 2026 22:00:50 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

As the planting season starts, Midwest soybean farmers like Doug Bartek showcase their growing anxieties over escalating costs for fertilizers and equipment while facing low soybean prices, intensified by global market conditions and geopolitical tensions.

Doug Bartek, a fifth-generation farmer in Nebraska, expresses deep concerns regarding rising operational costs and low soybean prices. Midwest farmers grapple with many issues, including tariffs from the recent U.S.-China trade war, soaring fuel prices, and the impact of the Iran war on fertilizer supply. Farmers are struggling to maintain profitability amid fears of bankruptcy and the future sustainability of farming.

WAHOO, Neb. (AP) — Strong winds whipped around Doug Bartek, a fifth-generation farmer, as he headed into a grain bin to shovel soybeans onto a conveyor chute. The 60-year-old was anxious at the onset of the spring planting season, rattling off the long list of issues affecting his family’s livelihood at their 2,000-acre farm near Wahoo, Nebraska.

The high cost of fuel, equipment, and fertilizer — compounded by the Iran war — and also tariffs, perceived “price gouging” by suppliers, and low soybean prices driven by a global supply glut. All of it weighs on Bartek, who is chairman of the Nebraska Soybean Association.

“Our biggest struggles are our inputs, be it fertilizer, seed, chemical, parts,” Bartek said. “There has been so much drastic markup in all of these. And I just kind of feel like the farmer’s kind of painted in the corner.”

Bartek’s concerns are shared by many Midwest soybean producers. Costs, such as equipment, have crept up over time while soybean prices have stayed low. Tariffs levied by the Trump administration last year and the resulting months-long trade war with China only made things worse, they say. Then the Iran war bottled up shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, restricting global fertilizer supplies and sending fertilizer prices sky high. A ceasefire deal announced April 7 raised hope that bottlenecks in the strait would abate, but the future of the agreement was uncertain.

“A lot of producers are pretty nervous going into this year,” said Justin Sherlock, a soybean farmer and president of the North Dakota Soybean Growers Association. “It looks like we’re going to have another year of negative returns.”

Meanwhile, Midwest soybean farmers’ costs have risen. Overall farm production expenses, including seed and pesticide, have increased over time, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Operating costs for soybean production have stayed elevated since 2020 and are projected to increase again in 2026. Bartek, who rents three-quarters of his land, said landowners are increasing rents, causing further financial strain. “There’s a lot of what I call absentee landowners that have absolutely no idea what goes on on the farm,” he said.

“Market forces aren’t the only issue weighing on farmers. Sweeping tariffs levied by President Donald Trump in April 2025 exacerbated a trade war with China, the top buyer of U.S. soybeans. China responded with retaliatory tariffs, effectively boycotting U.S. soybeans, which drove the price of soybeans even lower.

The war has also caused gasoline and diesel prices to surge, causing further headaches for farmers and limiting inputs crucial for crop production. Farmers like Bartek share their fears and concerns about the current climate and the uncertain future of farming amidst rising operational overheads and a price-challenged soybean market.