Rocky Mountain Farmers Union President Says Profitability Crisis Threatening Family Farms

March 11, 2026

As delegates debated policy priorities at the annual convention of the National Farmers Union, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union President Chad Franke said profitability remains the top concern for family farmers and ranchers across the region.

Franke said  many producers are facing severe financial pressure as commodity prices fall while input costs remain high.

“Everything comes down to profitability,” Franke said. “Commodity crops are not profitable right now. I’m hearing farmers talk about losing more than $100 an acre, and input costs aren’t going down with commodity prices.”

Franke said the financial squeeze is forcing difficult decisions on farms and ranches, with more bankruptcies and farm auctions being reported across rural America. Some producers, he noted, are even being advised to sell off unused equipment to free up cash just to stay afloat.

Another major concern for the Farmers Union is consolidation throughout the agricultural supply chain. Franke said increasing concentration in both input providers and commodity buyers leaves farmers with little negotiating power.

“There aren’t very many elevators left to sell crops to, and there are only a handful of packers that can handle large numbers of cattle, sheep, or hogs,” he said. “The same goes for fertilizer and seed genetics companies. They have the market power to set the price. As farmers and ranchers, we’re price takers.”

Franke also emphasized the urgent need for a new federal farm bill to address today’s economic realities. The current legislation, originally passed in 2018, has been extended multiple times but has not been fully updated.

“We really need the right farm bill, not just a farm bill,” Franke said. “The policy framework we’re operating under was created decades ago, and agriculture has changed dramatically since then.”

Source: Ag Information Network/Western Ag Network