Rising Costs, Falling Prices: Wabash Valley Farmers Battle Financial Strain and Mental-Health Toll

In Vigo County and across Indiana’s Wabash Valley, farming remains central to local life — but many producers are confronting mounting financial pressures that are taking a real toll on their health and wellbeing.

WTWO/WAWV’s special reporting highlights a nationwide trend now playing out locally: agriculture, long celebrated as a noble livelihood, has in recent years become a profession beset by economic uncertainty and stress.

First-Generation Farmer Feeling the Squeeze

Andrew Boehler, 46, of Terre Haute, is a first-generation farmer who manages roughly 1,400 acres of corn, soybeans and hay. After a teenage ride on a combine convinced him farming would be his life’s work, he built a career on the land. Today, however, the economics are increasingly difficult.

“We’re selling the crop for less than what it’s costing us to plant it,” Boehler said.

Major crops like corn and soybeans have not returned reliable profits for several years. At the same time, input costs — fertilizer, feed, insurance and fuel — have climbed. Boehler described routine expenses ballooning: a fuel bill that used to be about $500 rose to roughly $6,000 in one instance. Equipment breakdowns make such bills immediate and painful; to cut costs he performs most repairs himself, and planned upgrades have become wish-list items.

The Personal Toll

Boehler spends offseason hours at his kitchen table, running numbers to determine whether the next season is viable. He expects his own operation to survive the year, but worries several neighboring farms may not. The strain has physical consequences — Boehler takes blood pressure medication he attributes in part to chronic stress — and emotional ones:

“It puts a weight on your shoulders. A lot of farmer friends, you can tell it’s weighed on them.”

Christina Crist, CEO of Team of Mercy, a non-profit that supports families affected by suicide, described farming as an isolated profession and said suicide and severe mental-health challenges have long affected agricultural communities. She noted that recent policy shifts and market changes — including new tariffs and a pause in purchases of U.S. soybeans by China earlier this year — have intensified revenue pressures for many growers.

Community Response And Resources

For multi-generational farms, keeping a family legacy alive is becoming increasingly risky as margins thin. Local leaders urge the community to recognize that drops in crop sales often coincide with worsening mental-health outcomes.

To help, the Vigo, Vermillion and Parke County Soil and Water Conservation Districts are hosting a Navigation Financial and Personal Health Summit on Wednesday, December 10, at the Vigo County History Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lunch will be provided. The summit will connect farmers with financial planning tools, mental-health resources and local support organizations.

Attendance does not require an RSVP, though it is recommended. Farmers and families can RSVP via email at SWCD@VigoCounty.IN-gov or by phone at 812-231-1470. The event is organized by the Vigo, Vermillion and Parke County Soil and Water Conservation Districts.

For more local reporting, updates and resources, visit MyWabashValley.com.

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