The American Farm Bureau Federation reported 315 Chapter 12 bankruptcy filings in 2025, up from 216 in 2024 and the third consecutive annual increase. The Midwest got hit hardest with 121 filings, a +70% jump. The Southeast followed with 105, up +69%. Together, those two regions accounted for more than two-thirds of every farm bankruptcy in the country. Fertilizer prices are pouring gasoline on the fire. Urea, the most widely used nitrogen fertilizer on the planet, has ripped +87% year-to-date and trades near $720 a tonne. For corn growers who depend on nitrogen, this is a dire situation. Many farmers are reporting they will cut the amount of fertilizer they use, shift from corn toward less nitrogen-dependent soybeans, or just take the yield loss. Farms are under pressure.
- We’re so screwed over the long run. Private Family Farms are going under and Bill Gates and Co. is coming in and buying up all the farms. They are destroying family farms on purpose – control the food and you control the… – Oil God
- This is heartbreaking ! Farmers were the backbone of America. I feel as if this is being done on purpose to gain the land at dirt cheap prices. The trend of billionaires buying farm land the past few years now that there wasn’t any to purchase they made it so there was by making keeping their farms impossible. Such a disgrace to hurt and destroy farmers. I can’t even imagine what they are going to use this land for ? Definitely not for good ??Maybe data centers , Smart cities ? My heart is broken for America – Star1776
The OTHER side – as you all know Whatfinger News always shows you all sides.
Over the past 25 years, farm bankruptcies average 418 (median 395). The number in 2025 is less than both.
- incredibly sad to see our farmlands getting squeezed out. fact is most federal policies over recent decades have been marketing ploys, used to funnel money flows to commodity traders and large corps. I think the only meaningful program was from 1930s after the Great Depression. wild S
- Won’t be much longer and it will be above 70%. I have a very big farm, the last 2 years have been very hard. Now we have high interest, high fuel, high fertilizer, but grain prices don’t even come close to what you need to break even. – Landman
Grok says….
- Rise to peak (2015–2019): Filings climbed steadily, hitting a recent high of 599 in 2019. This was driven by low commodity prices, trade disputes/tariffs, severe weather events, and rising input costs.
- Sharp decline (2020–2023): Numbers fell dramatically after 2020, reaching a low of 139 in 2023 (the lowest in decades in some metrics). Strong farm incomes from high commodity prices during/after the pandemic, government support, and better margins helped many operations stabilize.
ers.usda.gov
- Recent uptick (2024–2025): Filings rose for the third straight year—216 in 2024 (+55% from 2023) and 315 in 2025 (+46% from 2024). This reflects ongoing pressures like declining farm receipts, high production/debt costs, interest rates, and regional challenges in row crops, livestock, and dairy. The Midwest and Southeast accounted for the majority in 2025 (121 and 105 filings, respectively).
investigatemidwest.org
Even at 315 filings in 2025, this is still far below the 2019 peak and represents a tiny fraction of the roughly 1.8–2 million U.S. farms. However, it signals localized stress, especially in certain states and commodities. Small chart (bar graph of annual filings):
