GREENE COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) – While tariffs are often blamed for the challenges faced by Tennessee farmers during this harvest season, others point to stagnant prices and rising input costs as the main issues.

Lee Maddox, Director of Communications for the Tennessee Farm Bureau, expressed deep concern about the plight of farmers as this year ends and the next begins. He highlighted that the state’s agriculture industry suffered a loss of $430 million last year and $730 million over the past two years, even before the latest tariffs were enacted.

“We had been experiencing low prices already, partially due to supply and demand factors,” Maddox explained. “However, inflation in input costs is not matched by the prices farmers receive for their crops.”

Mark Klepper, who has operated Woodlawn Farms for many years, stated to News Channel 11 that approximately 20% of his produce is exported. He mentioned that the cost of fertilizer alone has more than tripled since he started, while sale prices for his products have stayed mostly static.

“Input costs are climbing,” remarked Klepper. “Meanwhile, crop prices have remained stable for the past three to four years. In fact, aside from a few brief increases, we’re seeing the same prices we’ve had for the past 40 years.”

Klepper believes the best long-term fix is “to increase usage in the United States” to support farmers across the country.

According to Maddox, one way to do that is to increase the amount of biofuel we produce and to make it available year-round instead of seasonally.

Maddox highlighted that one significant opportunity for supporting farmers long-term is through biofuels, which benefit those who cultivate corn and soybeans. “Ethanol and biodiesel are made from these crops quite frequently,” he noted. “There’s also ongoing research into utilizing soybeans for sustainable aviation fuel.”

However, he believes a new farm bill, which has not been updated since 2018, should be the priority as it brings certainty to the farmers and rural communities.

“Agriculture is our number one industry in Tennessee,” Maddox said. “It’s the number one driver of our economy. It contributes over $103 billion each year. And that’s significant in terms of what it means to our rural economies as well.”

Maddox acknowledged that eventually the tariffs will have an effect, especially if they go on long-term.

“We just encourage the administration to quickly try to resolve any of these tariff disputes,” Maddox said. “Because the longer they drag out, the more it’s going to hurt Tennessee farmers.”