Empty farm fields in northern Ohio and Indiana
Posted by spilt_milk@reddit | PrepperIntel | View on Reddit | 210 comments
I just drove through northern Indiana and Ohio and saw something I've never seen in my 18 years of making that drive: barren fields full of dirt and weeds and no crops.
Something seemed off time during the drive, especially the clouds of dust, but it was my wife who put it together and called it out r. She then tried to figure out what was going on and she said she found reports that some farms just aren't planting crops because of the expense/shortage of fertilizer due to the conflict with Iran.
This is truly terrifying to me. I thought maybe it was soy not being planted because of tariffs and China no longer buying from us, but this is way worse.
MadScientistRat@reddit
Famine
Minute-Quantity-8542@reddit
West Central Ohio was planted in April. The half a foot of rain last week messed some up, but there's no empty fields here.
MsMoreCowbell828@reddit
Bingo. It's not "the weather." Crops weren't planted.
Prior_Cake_1495@reddit
So, the question is why weren’t they planted?
majordashes@reddit
75% of US farmers reported this spring that they were unable to afford fertilizer, due to shortages and prices increases that resulted from the closing of the Strait of Hormuz, as well as rising fuel costs.
I live in Iowa. A huge farm state. I’m also seeing empty fields. I’ve lived here for 60 years and haven’t ever seen this many fallow fields.
https://www.fb.org/market-intel/farm-bureau-survey-reveals-real-impact-of-fertilizer-availability-and-price
Apprehensive_Wolf217@reddit
Same here, up until this year anything that wasn’t crp land was corn or soybeans and I mean anything. There is always welfare and crop insurance to be made on even an acre or two. This year I’ve seen more plots turned to hay and alfalfa. That’s a direct effect of the fertilizer shortage.
_another_throwawayy_@reddit
Hale bays are going up towards $15… which is insane. Probably more profit in that.
GeneralZojirushi@reddit
Sorry for the aside. It's interesting to me that you typed up your spoonerism. Hay bale -> Hale Bay. I don't think I've ever seen that before.
HJSlibrarylady@reddit
I didn't even notice it until you pointed it out. My brain read hay bale.
I originally typed that as bale hay and had to go back to correct it. On my horse farm we call them bales of hay. ie: bale hay. We also buy round bales, no need for the word hay, everyone just know I mean hay.
I just thought it was funny so I pointed it out.
carlitospig@reddit
That wouldn’t be a problem if we actually used compost at the level we need to. We have so much food waste in this country. It’s really frustrating not knowing how to organic garden at scale. Like, I’m saying it’s frustrating for me that i can’t figure it out as someone who loved both organic gardening/permaculture, and someone involved in regional food systems.
This country really is not run well.
Putrid-Past-3366@reddit
But the DOW is at an all-time-high!? STFU and be happy with wealthy people getting wealthier while you die slowly. We've been doing it for years!
As you eat your shoes this winter, just remember that of most of those farmers voted for this... again.
I wonder what sort of reasoning we'd hear over in /askconservatives right about now...
pretkadet@reddit
I have never seen so many fallow young women.
Sea_Lead1753@reddit
Letting fields rest is a normal part of agriculture. The soil needs breaks or it dies. Sometimes a cover crop is grown, sometimes not. I encourage you to talk to a farmer about this, to get an accurate answer.
typefast@reddit
Who owns those unplanted farms now? I’ve read articles about billionaires buying up farmland. It could be the fields are barren because farmers couldn’t afford to plant or it could be planned future food insecurity by the entities that bought up so much farmland.
8008I354U@reddit
Kevin O’Leary Mr. Blunderful from the show Shart Stank bought the land from farmers for a data center
AD_Grrrl@reddit
Yeah I do wonder if that's the reason billionaires are buying up ranch land in BC.
AD_Grrrl@reddit
I read an article yesterday about billionaires buying up ranches in BC. :\
GreatPlainsFarmer@reddit
It's not that. Not for very many of them, anyway. Ohio and Indiana corn/soybean plantings are pretty much inline with the five year average for this time of year. Those fields will get planted, or most of them anyway
https://esmis.nal.usda.gov/sites/default/release-files/795918/prog2126.pdf
Significant_Donut967@reddit
Yup, gotta clear the last frost in May.
I.e. why my plants are back outside. Been tilling all this week(not a lot, just a disabled veteran who's slow af at rototilling).
typefast@reddit
That’s good to hear. Thank you.
auntie_@reddit
I mean the comment you’re responding to seems to suggest that fields weren’t planted because the weather made it difficult to Plant during the proper window.
ft1103@reddit
I saw similar as OP in southeast Michigan a couple weeks back and had a similar freak out. But today there are little corn plants popping up in these empty fields.
AntiSonOfBitchamajig@reddit
Maybe below Piqua or so.... start getting up into the flats its more noticeable.
MajinTy10@reddit
I'm military and away from home, is the Lima area like this? Ever since I was a kid it was soybeans in the spring and corn in the fall SURROUNDING the whole city for miles and miles. This worries me.
jeffjane7@reddit
I’m from the same area. It’s 100% weather related. It was Too wet to get into the fields. Almost all acres will be planted by the end of this week
oopsallhuckleberries@reddit
I'm west of Lima in Van Wert County. I've noticed maybe 2 whole fields that weren't 100% planted. We got so much rain this spring I think it screwed people doing soybeans this year.
Significant_Donut967@reddit
Please don't say 1st cav or I'll believe the ohio valley troops are always doomed to go through them.
AntiSonOfBitchamajig@reddit
Farmers are going to seriously try this week as we're finally getting a dry week. Next week however they're forecasting more rain and everyones like "well shit".
advantagement2@reddit
I noticed some empty fields up in Defiance I thought would have been planted by now.
keytiri@reddit
Most of the MS delta planted, they’ve always seemed a bit insulated to broader weather and economic woes; it was the folks across the river (Argh, Kansas my matey) having their problems hit the national news cycle.
Substantial_Funny636@reddit
Farmer here, i doubt they are going fallow in that neighborhood. The fertilizer prices are a huge issue but leaving a field unplanted is the only way to guarantee a loss on those acres. In my neighborhood lots of the "big" farmers use south african help to do most of the spring work. Most of those guys are paying high cash rent and using paid labor to work ridiculous hours to be able to cover so many acres. Lots of those south africans got rejected for this year and those big timers are actually having to do the work themselves and are wayyy behind compared to normal
DukeElliot@reddit
So this is why I saw field after field of dead corn stalks from last year, with nothing new growing, as we drove through Kansas last week.
Blueporch@reddit
The dead corn stalks are field corn, the kind they dry and use for stuff like animal feed. They leave it to dry on the stalks before they harvest it.
My cousin lives next to a farm that grows it and always laughs when people stop and steal ears of corn from the field thinking it’s sweet corn.
DukeElliot@reddit
No I know what feed corn stalks look like, I’m talking about the remains of last years stalks after harvest. About 1 foot tall and dead, no corn left. Field after field across Kansas (with intermittent fields of green wheat that was growing)
GreatPlainsFarmer@reddit
According to NASS, 63% of Ohio corn was planted as of May 24. That's only slightly behind the five year average of 67%.
Indiana had 76% of its corn planted, matching the five year average.
Ohio had 57% of its soybeans planted, slightly behind the five year average of 59%.
Indiana had 74% of its soybeans planted, slightly ahead of the five year average of 68%.
Those are for the state as a whole, it's not broken down by district.
https://esmis.nal.usda.gov/sites/default/release-files/795918/prog2126.pdf
Devildadeo@reddit
This is just corn. Is there a link for soy? I’m seeing plenty of cover crops still in Iowa.
GreatPlainsFarmer@reddit
It's a pdf. Scroll down.
Soybeans start on the bottom of page two.
Devildadeo@reddit
Woah, thank you. This is far more useful than I noticed.
KahlessAndMolor@reddit
This is really good data, I'm quite surprised at it because I've seen media reports just like OP about farmers claiming they would fallow some fields due to fertilizer and diesel prices. I guess not in the USA
GreatPlainsFarmer@reddit
If you think about that report, it does say that 40% of Ohio farmland is unplanted. And if that's concentrated in the northern area, then it's reasonable to expect areas that are well over half unplanted. That agrees with the OP's report.
All this is really saying is that what the OP reported seeing isn't unusual.
ZixfromthaStix@reddit
Both can be true
Baddad211@reddit
You trust data from this administration, LOL. Next month it will be sharply revised down. On a Friday. At 450 PM. Just like economic data.
NefariousnessLate375@reddit
RemindMe! 5 weeks
spilt_milk@reddit (OP)
Oof, that's a good point.
GreatPlainsFarmer@reddit
The full report is released at the end of June. Shall we check back then?
RemindMe! 5 weeks
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funke75@reddit
how dare you rely on such trivial things like facts and data in contrast to anecdotal observations...
fruderduck@reddit
It’s going to be the bigliest, bested harvest in history. People are saying that and thanking me. Best they’ve ever seen.
funke75@reddit
as long as Hamberders are on the menu we'll be fine!
spilt_milk@reddit (OP)
Thank you for sharing this.
AntiSonOfBitchamajig@reddit
I can confirm this, it's too muddy for farmers to get in to plant.
AntiSonOfBitchamajig@reddit
myWeedAccountMaaaaan@reddit
Yeah, the corn should be at least knee high by this time of year.
seriousallthetime@reddit
Where?
myWeedAccountMaaaaan@reddit
I was messing up the ‘plant your corn in early April’ and ‘knee high by July’, so no where I guess haha
codybrown183@reddit
No its knee high by july. Thats the saying and it means you'll have a good year. Vs a bad year.
myWeedAccountMaaaaan@reddit
Ah yeah that’s it, thanks. It’s been a while since I lived in the Midwest.
SquirrelyMcNutz@reddit
Anymore, they're wanting it 'high as an elephant's eye by the fourth of July'.
codybrown183@reddit
Fr with all the gmo shit they got now
spilt_milk@reddit (OP)
So it's just weather preventing the planting from happening? Does that mean a smaller crop and harvest come fall?
AntiSonOfBitchamajig@reddit
So farmers have a "planting window" for the seasonal timing / crop rotation. We're at the end of the window to plant certain crops and many farmers are having difficulty with mud to be able to plant. Not all farmers have specialized equipment to be able to plant such muddy fields. So people with "tracked" equipment have better luck than those with tires right now. BUT, the weather is currently looking good to dry things out for this area, people are talking about it at the auctions I attend.
spilt_milk@reddit (OP)
Right on. I have a few beds in my back yard so I get the idea of missing a window, but this is just on a much bigger scale. My own raised beds in northern IL seem a little water logged and some stuff has been slow to start growing, but I can only imagine it being worse in-ground.
NicolePSU@reddit
I just drove from Pittsburgh to San Diego and when in OH I did notice that SO MANY FIELDS were totally waterlogged and under water.
Broken_Atoms@reddit
This is the part that so many people out there don’t understand about climate change. It’s not that it’s going to be super hot… it’s going to change the weather and water distribution. Fields become deserts and dry land floods. Crop timing missed. Crops lost. All across the world.
EastTyne1191@reddit
This is why we've started calling it climate change and not global warming. People apparently hear global warming and think "yay, beach weather!!"
hiyasvnhga_ganulv@reddit
“Climate destabilization” is how most scientists refer to it now because we are already in it, so the rhetoric mirrors that.
Biotic101@reddit
Would probably be the best term, even the climate change sceptics, flat earthers and antivaxx crowd would have a hard time to disagree with that.
keinezeit44@reddit
I don't think you give them enough credit. In my experience, brainwashed morons can disagree with absolutely any scientifically proven fact you put in front of them. They can be standing in front of a tornado, looking at it, and if their fave podcaster tells them it's not a tornado, they'll deny it to their dying breath.
Complete-Paint529@reddit
"Climate breakdown" might be better for laypeople to hear.
Ridonius_Maximus@reddit
Or they experience a super cold winter and say” see no global warming! It’s all a lie!”
Biotic101@reddit
Indeed. To understand that global warming is causing cold snaps to become more common since it is weakening the Jetstream is probably a bit hard to understand for the average Joe.
This article describes the phenomenon in a pretty understandable way, but unfortunately has a ton of ads:
The Jet Stream Is Going Off the Rails: Why Weather Is Becoming More and More Unpredictable
As another user mentioned below, climate destabilization might be a better term than global warming or climate change...
baardvark@reddit
I see you’ve met my in-laws
No_Possible_7108@reddit
I wonder if the Fertile Crescent will reverse course and start becoming more fertile again🤔
Pando5280@reddit
Uncle is a lifelong farmer. Said theyve had 80 degree temp swings in a simgle 24 hour time period. That's not healthy for any kind of crop.
21plankton@reddit
Both plants and animals get confused when the annual cycles of weather changes are turned crazy. That is a consequence of global warming and world overpopulation.
Worshipme988@reddit
There were like three hard frosts after ohio hit 70 too early. The plants do not know what to do. They arent going to grow strong with zero weather stability, even if they manage to get them into the ground.
HerefortheTuna@reddit
That’s wild. Yeah in Boston we get the 97 one day rainy and 50s the next sometimes too (and vice versa)
Cinciboi@reddit
Yeah that’s the thing. The difference between hot and dry in April and cooler and wet in May was a big flip flop. Weird season indeed.
pandorasotherbox@reddit
exactly. It's the reason I do not have peaches and blueberries this year.
Cinciboi@reddit
Same no peaches here 😕
sundancer2788@reddit
Add in more storms that are far more severe
DTFpanda@reddit
People are still dumb enough to believe the climate isn't changing solely because their favorite Christian Jesus Israel-first bible thumper grifter local Republican politician said so
Apprehensive_Onion53@reddit
I was reading the comments on a post about the Pa drought yesterday, and so many people have zero grasp of basic science. Most of the comments were calling the drought “fake” because we had a week of rain and some land is muddy. They don’t understand the concept of an annual precipitation deficit, let alone a multi-year deficit.
CatoChateau@reddit
We have the opposite. Too dry, dont plant warnings out by my in laws. Farmers would have had to run pivots for every drop of water their crops needed. They literally hadn't had rain in a year until a month ago. Now (2 in of rain later) maybe they could plant if it dries up enough and they can ALL get the shortest season corn on and then maybe it keeps raining a bit so it isn't all irrigation from failing wells and aquifers.
rmannyconda78@reddit
I think I’ll one up you in the photos. This is from
A few weeks ago.
The video this is from https://youtu.be/u_ng3X6Eb6k?si=LXK7pjsyX48EFNW0
This was from a squall line I was filming, you can even see the dust blowing. I don’t think knee high by July is a thing no more
AntiSonOfBitchamajig@reddit
With the drone lol
rmannyconda78@reddit
I’ve had it for a while, I actually carry a part 107 license. That mavic 3 is a wicked little drone.
AntiSonOfBitchamajig@reddit
I had a license when the FAA had them free when they started regulating them. I used my drone for mostly fun and inspecting roofs / chimneys / surveying damage. Then we bought a 53' man lift and now I'm just going *wuuurrrrrrr up up up.*
rmannyconda78@reddit
My uncle got catapulted from a 70’ lift on a windy day, guy got impaled on a shovel and lived, he was the craziest sumbitch I knew. My license was not free that’s for sure
AntiSonOfBitchamajig@reddit
OHH was he moving on a wheeled one with the boom still extended? Yeaaaa..... seen that happen to guys before, it's easy mode till that happens on unfamiliar ground. But, I've been mostly lucky with mine, its been a great tool to do serious work that would otherwise be done in too dangerous of a way.
rmannyconda78@reddit
I’m afraid to use them because of that. I’m amazed he survived that, when I asked him about it he told me his ear came off from the impact. He got back up too, with the shovel stuck through him, had a big scar from it.
AntiSonOfBitchamajig@reddit
Well, still technically better than a ladder if you give the respect the machine and situation deserves.
Like seriously, any high work has serious casualty rates.
Ave_TechSenger@reddit
Heh my fiancee won’t let me up one because of this. She’s a physician and saw some gnarly cases in her time, and she’s extremely protective.
rmannyconda78@reddit
I don’t like ladders at all when I did roofing as a teenager I hated climbing them
AntiSonOfBitchamajig@reddit
Ever use one of those gas powered shingle ladders? Man... those were dangerous days.
We only do steel roofing now, Honestly amazing how well 98% of them have held up. The 2% issues have been on super weird situations.
rmannyconda78@reddit
Never used one of those but I am wanting to put a metal roof up one of these days
AntiSonOfBitchamajig@reddit
It honestly isn't too bad, we pre drill the holes in the "ribs" / highs of the metal for over 20 years now with great success. Interestingly the washers are starting to fail on the older darker / hotter roofs. The white roofs we've put on, its UNBELIEVABLE how much cooler the homes are in summer.
spilt_milk@reddit (OP)
I wasn't able to get a picture since I was driving, but yep, this is basically it for much of the drive from Chicago to Cleveland. Eerie as fuck.
liftingshitposts@reddit
Most of it is Eerie, some is Michigan
spilt_milk@reddit (OP)
fseahunt@reddit
I would assume it's due to some geniuses idea of putting tariffs on everything, which screwed up selling much of those crops to other countries, who found another place to buy them from.
carlitospig@reddit
Fallow is a part of a seven year cycle. Is it possible they’re all on the same cycle? Is it possible there’s a new borer type ruining crops and so they needed to go fallow early?
Loads of reasons of why those fields are empty.
Onlyroad4adrifter@reddit
Ne oh here they are planting around here. We have had some cold weather that has delayed things. I don't feel bad for them if they are struggling. They voted for this shot and still support it.
PorcelainFD@reddit
If they can’t produce crops, we all suffer.
nofunxnotever@reddit
Missouri here, chiming in with another confirmation - fallow fields everywhere, and it isn’t all soy.
RiffRaff028@reddit
I live in Indiana farm country and can vouch for this. It has me very concerned.
GWS2004@reddit
These states vote for people who think climate change is a hoax 🤷♀️
dodekahedron@reddit
Nw indian/sw mi.
Lots of empty fields here too. Soybeans and corn should be sprouted by now.
I was thinking it had to do with loss of workers due to deportations.
Past-Paramedic-8602@reddit
I’m in sw Michigan the corn is up. The blueberries are gonna suck this year but the corn is definitely sprouted.
dodekahedron@reddit
Exactly. Its not sprouted in the empty fields.
Whats planted is up. What hasnt been planted is empty and dirt.
Not everything is empty. Theres more empty fields this year than last year though
Past-Paramedic-8602@reddit
That’s the soy. With no where to sell it farms aren’t growing it. The hole you end up in is smaller if you don’t then if you plant it and can’t sell it. I had this talk with some in the co-op they have decided they can ride the storm out and just keep the losses to a minimum. We have planted 1500 more acres this year than last.
dodekahedron@reddit
Honestly I think that checks out. I think the Gerber soybean field is one of the empty ones we were looking at and starting to take notice
I dont know if its an actual Gerber affiliated field. We see Gerber branded trucks at harvest and make the assumption.
Maybe Gerber cut back on their contracts as well
Past-Paramedic-8602@reddit
Gerber warned last year they weren’t buying soy so if it makes you feel better it’s kinda on the farmer there. I know causes I rented 1500 acres for corn after Gerber told me the same thing last year
dodekahedron@reddit
Although how is there not anywhere to sell soy? Aren't they shoving that shit into everything now?
Past-Paramedic-8602@reddit
China uses 1/3 of the worlds soy. It used to come from here. They are getting it elsewhere now. When a consumer of such a large portion of a product quits buying it you simply can’t just move on to another consumer.
awwhorseshit@reddit
What the fuck does workers and deportations have to do with corn and soybeans. Are you serious?
They got planting that shit down to a science with heavy machinery that literally needs one person to do thousands of acres
dodekahedron@reddit
Lol...
I watch the farmers every year.
Its definitely more than a 1 man crew around here.
👍
Unsure why you are cursing at me. Different areas can have different experiences
AntiSonOfBitchamajig@reddit
It's the rain / mud.
Good year for arrowhead hunting though.
MsMoreCowbell828@reddit
No, it's not merely the weather. Not even close.
AntiSonOfBitchamajig@reddit
......... I'm literally in this area and directly affected by this topic.
AlkalineBroth@reddit
I propose that the negative effects of increased diesel and fertilizer prices will be exacerbated by fields being unplanted due to weather conditions.
Bad+bad=double plus ungood.
tractorfella@reddit
What are you talking about ? Im in nwi and we are done. Talked to a friend in sw mi and they will be done this week.
MsMoreCowbell828@reddit
Jesus christ, I'm not denying the existence of the mud & flooding. I'm saying, like others here, that crops weren't planted weeks ago bc of the Iran war.
tennezzee88@reddit
cool story
dodekahedron@reddit
Not the case here. Rains been normal
xphoney@reddit
Deportations tend to only affect dairy farms, not crop farms.
Thoth-long-bill@reddit
That is not a universal truth.
dodekahedron@reddit
Why is that? We have/had a large portion of seasonal workers in crop fields.
Thoth-long-bill@reddit
One of several reasons!!
spilt_milk@reddit (OP)
I also thought that might have been a factor. I wouldn't be surprised if it was multiple things.
Vegetable-Board-5547@reddit
Michiana
HaveaTomCollins@reddit
Amish take longer to plant since they use horses.
Gloomy_Yoghurt_2836@reddit
I work in fertilizer manufacturing. We bought raw materials before the Iran nonsense so we didn't get hit hard yet. Our retail NPK operation is unchanged in production volume but micronutrients are down. Golf course customers are the only ones buying like price is no problem.
Yd1891@reddit
I watched a video recently where a farmer says he was getting paid to kill off his crops and you see him using a huge farming machine (i seriously don’t know any farming lingo 😂) to take out his crops early to destroy them. I wish I had saved it to share the link or see what state it was.
fruderduck@reddit
Price supports.
Yd1891@reddit
What is that?
GreatPlainsFarmer@reddit
Unless it was peach trees or something else being grown in a water-restricted area, it was most likely a joke video.
Its_BassDaddy@reddit
I live in rural Michigan and half the fields aren’t planted this year. Some farms have state auction signs out front too.
mjfuji@reddit
https://www.agriculture.com/usda-crop-progress-report-may-26-2026-11983592
I'm in a rush this morning so Ivw not read the whole things... But this should be relevant data.
Blueporch@reddit
You would have needed to talk to the farmer to ask what was going on rather than non-farmer guessing.
Sometimes, it’s too wet to plant until later, for example. Sometimes, they’re growing hay and it looks like a bunch of grass and weeds. Etc.
Slight-Bowl4240@reddit
I saw this too in Iowa. It is very odd to not have anything planted in Iowa. I’m 48 and I’ve never seen it. From Iowa originally.
Common-Ad6470@reddit
If anyone here has supported Trump and his policies then this is the consequence of having a total moron sat in the White House.
Thing is that this isn't even the worst bit, wait until food prices absolutely skyrocket in a few months because the crops that should have been grown and harvested simply aren't there.
Well done.
crlthrn@reddit
Some farmers are opting not to plant and are selling their stored fertiliser at a profit.
CHughes_11@reddit
The great second coming of the dust bowl?
throwaway661375735@reddit
Sometimes, farms will plant alfalfa if they have the money to do so. They then plow it under and use that for the nitrogen release for other crops.
stoopidgoth@reddit
I saw easily 300 acres of corn fully cut down and replanted within the last WEEK in AL. They’d been there since the start of planting and did not look like they were going to produce. My jaw hit the floor when I went by and the field was completely empty a few days later.
SmushBoy15@reddit
Perfect storm of fertilizer shortages and a nationwide drought
wishinforfishin@reddit
This is relatively limi5ed, I suspect.
The USDA planting report shows planting tracking slightly ahead of the 5 year average as of mid-May.
Yields may be down and prices are expected to increase because grain stocks (actual grain, not like stock market stocks) are down. Wheat is particularly short, with expected harvest as low as it's been since they've been keeping records.
Acres are also shifting from corn to soy because soy needs less fertilizer. That may impact fuel (ethanol) and meat (feed).
But farmers as a general rule are planting ... but it's going to be a tough year.
Elsavagio@reddit
Normally farmers plant soybean in May, a lot chose not to because they got stuffed with a bunch of soybean and no one to sell it to. If everyone remembers back to last fall, the tariffs made China just say “nope not buying your soybean”
So that’s why a lot of fields are empty and not tilled. They aren’t too wet
Pretend-Policy832@reddit
They probably also voted for this, too, sadly
concepts_of_a_plan9@reddit
78% of farm dependent counties voted for Trump. Overwhelmingly yes they voted for this, just as long as "browns and queers" got it worse.
Material_Worth_4616@reddit
Live in those states and for the past couple years they’ve been starting to plant later and later. Sometimes the crops stay up for a while though.
AccordingWarning9534@reddit
Our mainstream media is reporting on the risks of a global famine due to the war. A deadly combination of fuel and fertiliser prices coupled with a developing severe el nino.
I'm surprised your media isnt? Maybe it's restricted?
GreatPlainsFarmer@reddit
What country are you in?
AccordingWarning9534@reddit
Australia
GreatPlainsFarmer@reddit
You are far more affected by the fuel and fertilizer issues than the USA.
Although I had heard that even your fuel prices have dropped significantly off the highs. Any truth to that?
AccordingWarning9534@reddit
fuel prices have dropped but only because the government reduced the fuel tax
GreatPlainsFarmer@reddit
Ah, that explains it. I was wondering. Thanks
Miserable-Fig2204@reddit
I was just thinking about this the other day. There are a lot of fields with nothing…it’s very strange feeling. Although, I am glad to see native plants getting a chance to grow.
Winter-Theory5476@reddit
Iowa here I have never seen as many fields with just weeds as we have this year. Wife and I have been on our drive to work for weeks.
Main_Bid8104@reddit
It's a perfect storm for farmers- too wet too long and then too hot at nigth interfering with pollication and now not enough water and fertilizer is up and diesel is up so that a farmer may decide not to plant or to give up on planted fields that are so far behind nothing will save them. It's all such a narraw window and for industrial crops everything has to be just so to make it worth to get it to harvest. I read somewhere that over 10% of already planted wheat fields in the upper mid west where being abondoned. My neighbor decided not even to put in the summer wheat said it wasnt worth it with the cost. I am already noitcing a pick up in feed prices but you cannot buy pelleted feed too far in advance it will spoil so there is no way to hedge. Going to get rough.
Main_Bid8104@reddit
found the numbers; expected to be the lowest harvest of wheat since 1972. At which point there was a few less people living and eating in the US.
RonJagrider@reddit
The tariffs and now this Iran war is making it impossible for farmers.
Oil_Shock_2026@reddit
If we don’t have enough diesel because of the oil crisis, how are ships transporting wheat and grain to the United States from international exporters going to run?
Assuming that US farming is still somewhat possible with all this climate change, how is farm equipment gonna run with diesel prices being what they are?
Let’s say that the autumn harvest comes around and all of the migrant labor that US farms have been historically using to do the harvesting is in detention centers or deported… assuming Americans don’t want to do these jobs, who is going to harvest the autumn crop?
Now agriculture and transportation are not in my wheelhouse as far as areas of expertise. I am wildly and woefully ignorant and uninformed in both domains.
Can anybody with less ignorance and more expertise enlighten me on these quandaries I have about our food source because for me it seems like we’re headed for a food supply disaster.
GreatPlainsFarmer@reddit
The US is a major exporter of wheat and other grains. So the question is will ships be able to take the grain from the US to the international importers.
Yes, most of them will be. The world has lost at most 15% of fuel production. Maybe only 10%. That's enough to cause major price spikes. It's not enough to bring the world to a halt.
Yes, most farming in the US will be able to afford current diesel prices. Diesel isn't a major expense for grain farmers in the rain-fed regions east of the Missouri river.
Migrant labor isn't a major factor in grain production. It's more an issue in fruit and veggie production. That isn't my wheelhouse either, so I can't comment on how they're being affected.
lisare98@reddit
Farmers are going bankrupt by the minute and Vance’s Acretrader is buying them up💯
threebutterflies@reddit
Southern Ohio/indiana, no empty fields here. I’m in the farm bureau, people don’t just not do their job. Like it is a job. Crops are underwater and ruined though
WhereDidAllTheSnowGo@reddit
Corn Planting Progress
As of the week ending May 24, 2026, corn planting across the top 18 states is 86% complete. [1]
Vs. 2025: This is exactly on par with the progress from the exact same week in 2025.
Vs. Average: This is ahead of the 5-year average of 83%. [1, 2]
Soybean Planting Progress
As of May 24, 2026, soybean planting is 79% complete. [1]
Vs. 2025: This marks a faster start compared to the 76% planted by this time in 2025.
Vs. Average: This is significantly ahead of the 5-year historical average of 68%. [1, 2, 3]
ibonek_naw_ibo@reddit
Thanks chatGPT
ValMo88@reddit
Yes, but according to the USDA report from two weeks ago, the total acreage planted in the US in wheat was the same level planted in 1919. And then the report went on to say that 60% had been negatively impacted by the weather.
Glad-Cat-1885@reddit
I live in sw Ohio and all the fields are planted
Prmarine110@reddit
Fuck around and find out. This is what the people voted for. A straight up systematic dismantling of our social and economic structures and an utter raping of our wealth and monetary system. Farmers were a large group that voted for this. How’s that going now?
If we’re not preparing for taking control of this runaway train as quickly and safely as possible, for the future, continued survival of this country, then we’re wasting our time because anyone who rides it out will just be subjugated again under the rule of Billionaires who engineered this shit in the first place.
BMRUD13@reddit
SW Ohio here. We got 6.6” of rain last week. That’s a lot of rain in May. They will plant once it dries out. My Dad has around 200 acres planted so far.
pink_faerie_kitten@reddit
I heard farmers are fine with fertilizer for this year because they already locked in the price months ago. It's next year that it will hit them.
Thoth-long-bill@reddit
There has to be fertilizer for your theory to work.
GreatPlainsFarmer@reddit
There is fertilizer.
squidwardTalks@reddit
The farmer I know did it that way. They locked in last year. So they won't be affected by fertilizer prices until next year.
KiaRioGrl@reddit
Nope.
AntiSonOfBitchamajig@reddit
Contracts absolutely play into this.
herdisleah@reddit
We have gotten 3 to 6 inches of rain in the last week. It's not that conspiratorial. It's just bad weather.
RedditorFor1OYears@reddit
You can prep for things that aren’t conspiracies.
AntiSonOfBitchamajig@reddit
Well, that's a totally valid thing to talk about here... add this to the other "things" happening with farming right now, we're going to possibly see issues despite the larger stockpile from lack of Chinese demand from the tariffs / trade waring.
Safe-Tennis-6121@reddit
Can it have a net positive effect by letting the fields be fallow for a year? I realize that may be the old method before fertilizers were used.
The biggest losers might be the developing world that relies on crop exporters
rerun6977@reddit
Don't forget about Del Monte closing their peach processing plant in Northern California. And most of the peach farmers cut down their trees.
kingcakeaholic@reddit
I just drove from Pensacola to Atlanta through rural Florida and Alabama. MANY empty fields that would normally be planted with corn, soy, cotton.
Fireflyfartz@reddit
Yep, where I am it's been too wet. The farmers just started planting, I'm hoping it's not like last year.
dodekahedron@reddit
How many of the empty fields are for sale?
I keep seeing Sale signs going up and cry inside. Is it gonna be shitty apartments, or a data center?
The field where like 8 houses went up for sale too? I am assuming a data center plans on buying that field
😡
ArthurDentsBlueTowel@reddit
Well at least the data centers will have plenty of room for their eventual people battery warehouses.
spilt_milk@reddit (OP)
I did see one field being dug up in Indiana and was thinking it might be a data center.
dodekahedron@reddit
Oh yeah theres a few near me that are for sure going to be data centers.
The questionable one is up near Dowagiac, theres a field near the casino and a handful of houses for sale
Its the handful of houses for sale that makes it look off.
Mass exodus.
Effective-Ebb-2805@reddit
Don't worry... everything is peachy keen. Just ask the goddamn imbecile in the White House and his devoted ass-kissers. The rich are doing just fine, too.
Round-Medicine2507@reddit
Ohio always had much more corn than Indiana when I lived in those states for 12 years. Farmers also always got free handouts after inheriting millions and basically simply breaking even each year after spending 200k on unnecessary tractors, diesel, beer, recreational bullets, and ATVs annually. Meanwhile all the amish communities by me now keep buying hundreds of more acres annually because they aren't evil heathens wasting their money and get by with 6 horses. I'd say the empty fields are just a result of Republican lies, foreign fertilizer isnt needed on proper farming, local pig shit had worked for the amish and others for hundreds of years. Probably mostly corporate land speculation causing empty fields too.
creak_sreak@reddit
Tbf at least the Amish I know aren’t exactly organic farmers. If the pig shit is cheapest, most effective, or some pragmatic combo of the two I would assume that’s what they go for. But around the Amish I’m familiar with they use typical pesticides etc at least and I wouldn’t be shocked to hear about them using artificial fertilizer either.
Icy_Bicycle8698@reddit
I like this take a lot! Reliance on importing fertilizer has become a riskier factor than ever before because of increasingly inconsistent global relations.. one way to circumvent that could be to use local fertilizer, natural fertilizer etc but most farms have long ago strayed away from those sources being viable to support their own needs. They were told we need more of this crop or “this one is more profitable” and become monocroppers or simply too big for that. They shot themselves in the foot by buying into the BS our own culture has created for farmers. It’s sad
jazzbiscuit@reddit
Ohio’s weather has been absolute garbage. My area (north central Ohio) is just coming off of weeks of rain…. I still have a giant chunk of my yard I haven’t been able to mow at all this year because of standing water - almost got stuck trying to mow it yesterday. The guy that leases my fields has managed to get in once to spray - there’s a decent chance he may be able to get in to plant this week finally. I don’t doubt there will be some empty fields this year, but what you saw recently points more to Mother Nature hating Ohio than human causes.
tractorfella@reddit
I work Ag in NWI. As of today we are 99% planted. NE Indiana is behind because of rain but give them 10 days and they will be essentially done. Nothing to worry about here just another spring.
1245woah@reddit
Same everywhere. Carolina’s has gone through massive drought. Then last few days flooding washed away new crops. Lots and lots and lots of empty fields that just a year ago had crops
slimpickinsfishin@reddit
Same things happening in Michigan to many farmers are not planting fields at all and if they do it's usually personal use plus a bit more but not fully cropped and the auctions are full of everything and anything you could ever want.
People are clearing out as much as they can now and farm fields are being bought and developed in 2-6 months when previously they would never sell for years even at inflated prices.
MinionSympathizer@reddit
Meh plenty of stuff got planted in April regardless of May weather and even the farmers that haven't planted will get subsidies. Nothing to do with Iran it's all weather issues
AntiSonOfBitchamajig@reddit
Planted where? And how much acreage? Have to consider 70% of the country is in drought at the same time.
MinionSympathizer@reddit
Indiana and Ohio, as the post is referring
codybrown183@reddit
Nebraska here everyone looks like they got planted here too. Corn will be knee high by july here
AntiSonOfBitchamajig@reddit
I should have been more descriptive. I'm arguing this is currently an issue in the "flat-lands" of Ohio / Indiana right now. Its "serious mud" for many farmers along with a bunch of other cost issues.
ommnian@reddit
Yes, and Ohio got 200-400% of our usual rain in May...
AntiSonOfBitchamajig@reddit
Ah, get into the flats of the west and north it gets worse.
perpetually_puzzeled@reddit
This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but with a whimper- T.S. Elliot.
Pangolin_Beatdown@reddit
Fertilizer is incredibly expensive now. A lot of fields in my SW Ohio area aren't being planted this season.
Sil1ySighBen@reddit
I'm fine with watching the destruction of America and likely dying in the WWIII/Civili War II crossover so long as Ohioans go out first. They voted for the pedo 3 times.
Playful_Possible_379@reddit
America is being destroyed by the same people who these farmers voted for to keep costs low,the USA out of New wars,and allegedly lower gas prices.
The clowns they voted for to protect them from the woke Are now destroying our country. And the pain about to come next year will be insane. Based on how these fields going empty will affect everything from the grocery store to random plastics that use soy, and food shortages like the Soviet Union and China had to endure
Not protecting our country from the Russians and Chinese will cost us.
Particular_Mine843@reddit
Yes it is way worse and I’m not sure people are as astute as you and your wife. It is scary what is happening to our food system across the country. And it will hit this summer