66% of corn and soybean growers worried about farm economy

By Nathan Brooks

Sixty-six percent of corn and soybean growers surveyed in September were moderately or very concerned about the farm economy, even as prices rallied. The National Corn Growers Association poll covered more than 1,200 growers. Forty-six percent said they were more worried about their own farm’s finances than a year earlier, while only 9% were less concerned.

The summary does not disclose the survey’s sampling frame, response rate, geographic mix or farm-size distribution. It also invokes a price rally without naming commodities, benchmarks, dates or percentage gains.

The Oct. 27, 2026 commentary provides no input-cost series, crop basis, revenue-per-acre estimates or farm-margin calculations. The poll therefore signals anxiety but cannot show whether better crop prices are outrunning costs.

Jordan Howe, an area manager with Nutrien Financial, argues that the market pressures growers have handled for the past few years show no signs of shifting. He calls tight margins a persistent operating condition rather than a temporary disruption and urges growers to prepare for the 2027 growing season instead of waiting for a market fix.

What changes for growers before 2027 planting?

Start with purchasing. Evaluate input needs well ahead of planting so growers can compare financing terms, available incentives and payment options before making commitments. That timing gives them room to judge the full cost of financed inputs rather than letting a seasonal cash need dictate terms.

Next, review projected expenses, revenue and available working capital to identify opportunities to preserve cash and maintain flexibility throughout the growing season. The goal is not necessarily to borrow more. “The goal isn’t necessarily to change how much you borrow; it’s to make more deliberate decisions about when and how you use the capital available to your operation,” Howe wrote.

Retailer financing can complement an existing operating line of credit, according to Howe. If growers use it, they should compare total financing cost, available incentives and repayment terms rather than treating credit availability as the same as affordability. Those checks connect directly to farm margins, even though the commentary provides no figures for either.

Howe says no single strategy fits every operation, and specialized farm management calls for more than one decision-maker. His suggested 2027 team includes:

• A crop consultant or agronomist.
• A tax professional.
• One or more financial professionals.
• An accountant or bookkeeper.
• Partners with expertise in technology, marketing, real estate and legal matters.

He recommends mapping each participant to a specific part of the 2027 plan. Tax professionals can support early planning; bookkeepers provide real-time cash-flow visibility; and finance specialists can compare offers and programs and help growers extract more value from available capital. Technology, marketing, real estate and legal partners cover the remaining operating specialties.

Operationally, his sequence is to assess where the farm stands now, identify strategic gaps, compare financing for planned purchases and prepare for the season ahead. “No one can say with certainty when the farm economy will turn a corner,” Howe wrote, adding that growers can act on current options without waiting for that moment.

Howe’s corporate role deserves attention alongside his recommendations. He oversees Nutrien Financial operations across the Corn Belt, western U.S. and Canada and works with Nutrien’s team throughout the United States on solutions intended to increase growers’ buying power and maximize business opportunities.

The commentary names no specific financing terms and does not compare retailer offers with banks, cooperatives or other lenders. No farm cooperative or government agency is named, and no subsidy, policy change or trade provision is analyzed for 2027. Nor does it explain how agronomic conditions, input availability or crop yields might alter costs, basis or margins. Growers therefore need to test the recommendations against their own budgets and local financing terms.

For 2027, the practical test is not whether the farm economy normalizes on schedule. It is whether each operation enters planting with documented liquidity, costed financing choices, an early input plan and assigned responsibility for every part of that plan. The 66% concern rate supports caution; the missing cost and methodology detail limits any confident forecast.