WOOD RIVER, NEB. – While the nation’s largest outdoor farm show is known for showcasing the latest technology, the conversation inside the Nebraska Farm Bureau building at Husker Harvest Days focused on the stark realities facing farm and ranch families today.
Nebraska’s beef industry may be holding steady, but across the countryside, producers say they are being squeezed by higher input costs, lower commodity prices, and rising interest rates. At a producer roundtable hosted by Nebraska Farm Bureau (NEFB), those challenges came to life in the voices farm and ranch families.
“Margins are extremely tight. The costs for fertilizer, seed, and fuel have increased, along with interest rates, but the prices for corn and soybeans keep dropping,” said Chad Neinhueser, a farmer from Adams/Webster County. “We’re running just to stand still, and that’s not sustainable for family operations like mine.”
NEFB economist Abygail Streff underscored his concerns with hard numbers. Her analysis shows farm equipment parts have increased 69% over the past five years. Cedar County, which is the county with the highest irrigated acre rental rate in Nebraska, experienced a 26% increase in rates from 2020 to 2025. Soybeans saw a 61% increase in fertilizer costs per acre from 2020 to 2025. Corn under the same assumptions saw an over 44% increase in fertilizer cost per acre. “Those increases add up quickly and put incredible pressure on the bottom line for producers,” Streff explained.
Yet while challenges dominate the short-term picture, the group also discussed pathways to strengthen Nebraska agriculture in the years ahead. One of the clearest opportunities: growing markets.
“Expanding livestock production is one of the best ways to add value to Nebraska-grown grains,” said Bruce Williams of Saunders County. “But too many producers are hitting walls when it comes to getting approvals for livestock expansion. We need a smoother process if we want to keep that value in our state.”
In addition to livestock growth, NEFB is pushing for permanent year-round E-15 ethanol sales, defending livestock producers from costly and burdensome regulations, and advocating for fair and open trade agreements.
“Export markets are vitally important to Nebraska farmers and ranchers with agricultural exports typically accounting for 30% of their annual income,” said Mark McHargue, NEFB President. “Given that the majority of this world’s consumers live outside of our borders, it is vital the Trump administration makes finding new markets for agricultural products a top priority, however efforts must be made to ensure farm and ranch families don’t bear the brunt of any prolonged trade war.”
Alongside its push for stronger trade opportunities, NEFB pointed to a major policy win that offers longer-term certainty for farmers and ranchers navigating rising input costs, volatile markets and weather uncertainty. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act strengthens core safety net programs, enhances risk management tools, and locks in important tax provisions for family farms. However, the property tax burden continues to be one of the largest costs to Nebraksa businesses and that includes farms and ranches.
“Farmers and ranchers are facing real pressures, and it’s our job to advocate for solutions that work and will grow our economy,” said McHargue. “That means continuing to push for lower property taxes, sound fiscal and regulatory policy, and that includes ensuring agriculture has a seat at the table for the Make America Health Again discussion. Nebraska agriculture is resilient, but it deserves a policy environment that helps, not hinders, our farm and ranch families.”
As farmers and ranchers left the roundtable and drifted back into the crowd of thousands exploring the show grounds, one message lingered: Nebraska agriculture remains strong, but its future depends on policies that protect family operations, and open new doors for growth.
The Nebraska Farm Bureau is a grassroots, state-wide organization dedicated to supporting farm and ranch families and working for the benefit of all Nebraskans through a wide variety of educational, service, and advocacy efforts. More than 56,000 families across Nebraska are Farm Bureau members, working together to achieve rural and urban prosperity as agriculture is a key fuel to Nebraska’s economy. For more information about Nebraska Farm Bureau and agriculture, visit www.nefb.org.
