By Kenneth Rapoza – MarketWatch.com
A soybean farmer inspects his field in Cordova, Md., in 2025. American farmers are facing their most serious crisis since the 1980s.Photo: AFP via Getty Images
Why agricultural shocks are the next market disruptor.
America is not starving. There’s plenty of beef, wheat and eggs. At the moment, food inflation is lower than core inflation, but Americans are still living with higher prices, up around 20% since 2022.
President Donald Trump is right when he says the U.S. doesn’t rely on the Strait of Hormuz for its agriculture needs. But Europe and Asia do — and so they will outbid American farmers for fuel and fertilizer, forcing food prices higher for everyone, including Americans.
Anyone who knows a farmer has heard stories of the “worst year ever” — but now American farmers are facing their most serious crisis since the 1980s.