Amidst low crop prices and high costs, Rob Baker sees a clear path to improve economic opportunity for farmers across the United States: improved export opportunity.
On this month’s Ag Policy Podcast, the Mississippi grain farmer shares how he’s navigating a particularly challenging year on his farm, where the focus is soybeans and corn. Off farm, Baker serves as his state’s director of the American Soybean Association.
Baker says sluggish demand and the impact of tariffs made 2025 economically tougher than previous years. When the final numbers are tallied, he expects to make less money than he has in any of the last several years.
Baker notes that low commodity prices historically were typically followed by lower input costs. This time around, costs are at all-time highs and commodity prices certainly are not.
The cost of everything from fertilizer to farm equipment continues to climb, Baker says. Repair costs also are significantly higher. He estimates labor costs are roughly 150% higher than they were just five years ago.
And it’s the first time this young farmer is managing high interest rates on operating loans and equipment loans. “It’s kind of been a new frontier,” he says.
Despite those challenges, Baker believes the future is bright. In fact, he says this is the most optimistic he’s been about agriculture in three years.
“People want American soybeans,” he says. “We just need the markets to be able to get them to them without intervention holding it up.”
To hear more about Baker’s farm, the challenges American farmers are facing and a next generation farmer’s thoughts on U.S. agriculture, tune in to Ag Policy Podcast.