The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is sounding the alarm over a deepening economic crisis in rural America, as corn producers confront shrinking revenues and persistently high production expenses. Despite slight improvements in yield, the financial outlook for farmers remains bleak, with input costs only 3 percent below their 2022 peak while corn prices have plummeted over 50 percent since then.
According to NCGA President Kenneth Hartman Jr., many growers are now operating at a loss after another demanding season. A farmer with average production costs receiving the projected market price in 2025 faces a deficit of $0.85 per bushel. Forecasts for 2026 suggest further declines in commodity prices alongside rising operational costs, compounding the strain on agricultural livelihoods.
The association has released three detailed reports analyzing the financial pressures on corn farming: one examining breakeven thresholds, another comparing current inflation trends with historical data, and a third breaking down overhead and input expenditures. These documents underscore the urgency of addressing the imbalance between production expenses and market returns.
In response, the NCGA is urging federal policymakers and industry stakeholders to take action by boosting demand for corn through expanded ethanol blending and improved international market access. The group emphasizes the need for coordinated efforts across government and private sectors to stabilize the agricultural economy and support rural communities.
“When farmers invest a full year of labor only to face financial losses, it’s clear the system isn’t working,” Hartman said. “We must look at every factor affecting farm economics and work together to find sustainable solutions.”
— news from Oklahoma Farm Report
— News Original —
The Corn Economy: NCGA Highlights High Production Costs Amidst Economic Crisis
his week, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) continued to raise alarm about the economic crisis hitting rural America, as commodity prices drop at a time when input costs remain at near-record highs. As NCGA urges Congress and the administration to act to drive increased demand for corn, such as higher blends of ethanol and increased foreign market access, it has also raised concerns about input costs.
“At a time when many corn farmers are facing a reality of losing money after yet another year of hard work,” said Illinois farmer and NCGA President Kenneth Hartman Jr, “it is essential that we examine all factors contributing to the economic hardships facing corn growers.”
Average corn production costs have dropped just 3 percent from their peak in 2022 to 2025 while corn prices have declined by over 50 percent over the same period. Even with higher yields, farmers are unlikely to be able to offset these high costs, resulting in continued and widening negative profit margins for the third consecutive year. A farmer with an average cost of production who receives the expected average price is facing an $0.85 per bushel loss in 2025. The outlook for 2026 is even worse, with a forecast projecting lower corn prices and rising costs.
As these trends are unsustainable for all corn farmers, NCGA released a series of three analyses on input prices:
Input Costs & Breakeven Levels
Inflation Impacts & Historical Comparisons
Dissecting Input & Overhead Costs
As the corn growers raise concern about these issues, NCGA is asking elected officials, members of industry and agricultural representatives to come together to identify and advance solutions that will improve the troubling economic situation for farmers and rural America.