Farmers here. Imports may play a role but the expenses continue to escalate and farm prices are not keeping pace. New varieties produce more than ever but you have to have rain or irrigation. Seed costs (cotton) up and up, chemicals up and up, equipment almost untouchable, land doubled since we began farming, and fuel costs up. For huge operations I cannot imagine what they have to borrow and pay in interest every year just to operate. We are a dying breed. It is just my husband farming less acres than most, no hired help and I am the helper. He is very conservative and we have been blessed in many ways. Some years we do really well and some it is lean. We can survive and have a life outside of farming with church, friends, family and each other. Still there is stress and we THINK we see more and more crop insurance fraud from people who are so huge you would think they didn’t need to cheat. Are they greedy or are they so highly leveraged they can’t risk a mediocre return?
Not to mention farm equipment is super expensive.