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Drought, Debt, and Distribution: Illinois farmers struggle through 2025 harvest

The director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture says farmers are facing numerous headwinds as harvest progresses.

Jerry Costello says low commodity prices and high input costs are financially squeezing producers.

“The first three months of this year, there were more farm bankruptcies than all of last year.”  He says, “Farm bankruptcies right now are double what they were last year. These are very scary times.”

He tells Brownfield that although much of the state seems to be having a good harvest, that’s also expected to lead to difficulties.

“There’s just not that much storage capacity that is available.”  He says, “Farmers have been storing crops because of low commodity prices.”

In addition, Costello says the ongoing drought increases the risk of field fires, and…

“The Mississippi River, the Ohio River, and the river systems in general are very low, which increases the price to transport crops,” he says.

Costello says ongoing trade uncertainty adds another layer of diversity to an already formidable year for farmers.

AUDIO: Jerry Costello – IDOA