PAYETTE COUNTY — A longtime Idaho family farm says the cost of keeping agriculture afloat is climbing fast, leaving growers across the state caught between rising expenses and shrinking returns.
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At Sunnyside Farms in Payette County, farmers say input costs like fuel, fertilizer, labor and equipment continue to rise while the prices they receive for crops such as sugar beets continue to fall.
“Our inputs on the farm have gone up 30 to 40% over the last 5 years. And the price we receive for our commodities has not gone up,” said farm owner Gaylen Lee.
Lee says sugar beet prices alone have dropped nearly 50% in the past year, tightening already thin margins for many operations.
“We're to the point that, you know, basic economics as inputs and receipts… when those lines cross, you're in an upside-down situation,” Lee said. “That's kind of where we are now. It's very difficult, very challenging.”
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Farmers say there is little room to absorb the pressure. While costs continue to climb, many of the basic demands of farming remain unchanged — tractors must run, fields must be irrigated and crops still need nutrients to produce viable yields.
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Lee says cutting back on inputs like fertilizer can backfire if it reduces production.
“If you do it too much, then your crop suffers, and so you still want to have the yields with your crop,” he explained, “Those inputs, you have to spend the money where you have to. You have to spend it wisely.”
According to the Idaho Farm Bureau, the financial strain is not limited to Payette County.
Sean Ellis with the organization says some potato growers are spending between $3,000 and $5,000 per acre just to produce a crop — while seeing historically low returns at harvest.
“They're getting less than $1 for each 100 pounds of potatoes,” Ellis said.
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He says farmers across Idaho and the country are seeing crop prices fall sharply compared to just a few years ago, even as production costs remain elevated — in some cases 30% to 50% lower returns than two years ago.
In South Central Idaho, farmer Trent Telford says potatoes are still moving out of storage, but profits are scarce.
“They're barely returning the cost of the packaging,” Telford said. He added, “People love Idaho potatoes. They're the best there are, and they're going out, but the farmers aren't getting anything for them at all other than getting their cellars empty.”
Despite uncertainty in commodity markets and concerns over global competition and imports, farmers say continuing forward is the only option.
“To farm, you have to be an eternal optimist,” Telford said, “You have to hope for something better, and we're hoping that that will turn around.”
As Idaho growers head toward another season, many say they are watching markets closely, hoping costs stabilize and prices rebound before financial pressure deepens further.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
