US farm economy shows widening cracks as costs rise, jobs vanish

Photo credit: USDA photo by Lance Cheung via Flickr. Public domain. Article by P.J. Huffstutter, Karl Plume and Julie Ingwersen. Reuters – January 15, 2026.

• High production costs and trade uncertainty squeeze farm margins
• Farm bankruptcies rise, with Chapter 12 filings up nearly 36%
• Farm families also hit by job losses at rural schools, hospitals […]

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