American farmers are staring down what one Iowa grower calls “another farm crisis,” as President Trump’s tariffs and his war with Iran drive up fertilizer, fuel and machinery costs while crop prices stay weak, the Washington Post’s Jarrell Dillard reports.
Diversifying wasn’t enough
Wendy Johnson, a fourth-generation Iowa farmer, spent 16 years diversifying her operation to avoid another 1980s-style crash. She says her profits are down by as much as 50 percent anyway. “I am afraid that we’re looking into the barrel of another farm crisis,” she said, “and we all know historically what that did to our rural communities.” New 50 percent tariffs on Canada, a key fertilizer and equipment source, plus a proposed pause on ground-beef tariffs decried by cattle ranchers, have deepened the squeeze.
Congress is weighing $12 billion in emergency farm aid, but Republicans have tied it to Iran war funding, a pairing the National Farmers Union calls self-defeating since the war is itself driving up fuel costs. With the farm bill eight years overdue for renewal and expiring September 30, farmers warn the aid is only a “Band-Aid” without longer-term fixes to costs and market access.
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