Higher corn and soybean prices in recent weeks have not lifted the financial pressure on US growers, according to a report by the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and the American Soybean Association (ASA), Global Agriculture reported.

The report analyses a survey of 1,200 corn and soybean farmers across the country conducted by Farm Journal. Nearly two-thirds of growers said they were moderately or very concerned about the farm economy, and 46% said they were more concerned about their farm's financial situation than a year earlier. Both measures improved on the 2025 survey but still point to high concern rather than a return to stability.

Growers' expectations for the 2026 crop leave little room to absorb further cost increases, the report says. Not every grower can capture the benefit of higher prices, and better prices do nothing about input costs, which remain a key concern; decisions for one season often stretch over several years, from buying inputs to marketing the harvest.

"Corn prices have improved substantially in recent weeks, which helps grower sentiment. But farm profitability doesn't reset in one market move or one crop year," said Krista Swanson, NCGA chief economist, adding that many growers are managing pressure built up over several crop cycles.

"What stands out in these results is how little margin for error farmers have right now," said Scott Gerlt, ASA chief economist. "Even with some improvement in crop prices, the cost of putting a crop in the ground remains high." The groups said the findings show how sensitive farm profitability remains to fuel, energy, fertiliser and other production costs.

Photo: Lynn Betts, USDA NRCS / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Source: Global Agriculture