Consider This from NPR American farmers were already struggling, then came the Iran war
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Mar 31, 2026 Featuring farmers like Mark Mueller, Dave O'Brien and Gary Werdisch — everyday growers sharing firsthand perspectives. They talk about rising fertilizer and fuel costs, labor shortages after deportations, and how trade and policy shifts are reshaping planting and market decisions. Several voices describe the mounting financial pressure and political stakes facing rural communities.
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Midwest Farmers Describe Growing Economic Frustration
- Mark Mueller and other Midwest farmers describe conditions as "bleak" and say both the current and previous administrations hurt them.
- Mueller warns rising fertilizer costs from the Iran war and broken trade promises could weaken farmer support for Trump in midterms.
Iran Conflict Raised Fertilizer Prices And Shifted Crop Economics
- The Iran war raised fertilizer prices because much nitrogen fertilizer ships through the Strait of Hormuz, squeezing input costs for corn farmers.
- Higher fertilizer plus fuel costs can make corn unprofitable and shift acres into soybeans, depressing soybean prices too.
Longtime Farmer Details Ballooning Fuel And Labor Costs
- Dave O'Brien, a 50-year corn and soybean farmer, says fuel and fertilizer now cost thousands per combine fill-up, dramatically increasing per-harvest expenses.
- He links deportations to labor shortages and Trump tariffs to lost soybean export markets, worsening margins.