Hi-Line farmers under pressure from drought, low prices and tariffs

On a recent Friday, Justin Miller was seeding his next crop of winter wheat. Miller wasn’t quite happy with his harvest this year.

"This year we started out the year with very little precipitation," he says.

He farms mostly spring and winter wheat near Havre.

Persistent drought means poor yields, but farmers like Miller are also facing the lowest wheat prices in five years. Erratic weather this fall made the harvest worse.

So, Miller made the tough decision to pile grain on the ground while he looked for other ways to sell it.

"It's the first time we put grain on the ground in 30 years, so it's pretty unusual. It’s not something that we’d like to practice or do," Miller says.

The longer that grain sits there, the less it’s worth.

That’s not Miller’s only problem. Trump’s tariffs pushed fertilizer and machinery prices to record highs.

Victoria Traxler

MTPR spoke with other farmers in the region who shared similar struggles.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture touted federal programs it says can help. But nearly all of the financial programs have existed for years.

Montana State University’s head of agricultural economics, Eric Balasco, says crop insurance can help farmers struggling with low yields from bad weather, but that's only part of the story.

"The other thing that crop insurance doesn't really cover against is rising input costs," Balasco says.

Farmers, who are already on tight margins, have to swallow higher costs for things like fertilizer.

Many agricultural experts want Congress to provide more financial relief in the federal farm bill. The current bill will expire at the end of September.

Back on the Hi-Line, Miller says he’s still planting winter wheat. He remains optimistic that next year will be better.