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Finances weigh on farmers embarking on growing season

Financial challenges are a concern as farmers embark on another growing season.

Ag Ventures Alliance CEO Spencer Stensrude says many members are looking at very thin margins in 2025.

“I think farmers across the country in pretty much every crop are struggling with profitability, costs remain very high. Prices, uh, we’re hopeful about prices.”

Speaking to Brownfield during the Alliance’s annual meeting in Clear Lake, Iowa Wednesday, he said some growers are still considering crop rotation changes as planting season nears.

“That’s probably not typical for being a month out from planting in this region, and also kind of a sign of like trying to keep some options open and see if they can capture some profitability somewhere.”

Stensrude says Ag Ventures Alliance is a farmer-owned cooperative with about 330 members that aims to build resilience and profitability for farmers by accelerating ag tech innovations.