By Andi Anderson
As harvest season begins, Ohio farmers are confronting a tough mix of rising costs, trade tensions, and unpredictable weather. Heavy rains earlier in the year followed by summer drought have hurt crops across the state, leaving many producers worried about profits.
Near the Pennsylvania border, soybean grower Sam Smail described how inflation and tariffs have doubled input costs over five years while soybean prices remain stagnant.
“Seven years ago, we were getting $15 to $17 a bushel. This year, we are barely meeting $10,” Smail said. Equipment fuel, fertilizer, and other essentials are all more expensive, while weather extremes delayed planting and reduced yields.
The pressure is intensified by trade restrictions. Ty Higgins of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation noted that China, once buying a third of Ohio’s soybeans, has not purchased any this year, shrinking markets and driving prices down to levels not seen since the 1970s.
Not all farmers are hit equally. Mark Meyer, who runs a small organic soybean farm near Marysville, avoids high input costs by using his own seed and relying on healthy soil instead of fertilizers or sprays. Other farmers diversify to balance losses, like Chris Gibbs of Shelby County, who raises cattle to offset lower soybean revenue.
Gibbs recalled past tariff battles when federal subsidies softened the blow—support that is missing this time.
Economic strains are also shaping political conversations. Gibbs, once a Republican leader, now heads the Ohio Democratic Party’s rural caucus and urges farmers to demand stronger trade deals.
Political hopefuls from both parties, including Democratic candidate Dr. Amy Acton and Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, are courting farm votes with proposals on taxes, healthcare, and rural investment.
For many farmers, however, promises are not enough. They want concrete action to stabilize markets and support family farms. Some smaller operators are selling to larger farms as profitability requires scale.
With input costs climbing and markets uncertain, Ohio farmers enter harvest wondering if profits will cover their losses and how these challenges will influence their future political choices.
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Categories: Ohio, General