![\"Chris](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1552f6-20260325-ohio-farmer-truck-600.jpg\")
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The diesel in Gibbs’ truck is one of his many production costs that increased this year. He says he uses the most during his planting season, which starts in less than three weeks.<\/p>\n
Caleigh Wells\/Marketplace<\/p>\n
Tariffs are making things more expensive, too. He opens up a shed where he stores some of his machines.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis piece of John Deere equipment is made in Moline, Illinois. Doesn’t get any more American and apple pie than that,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
He lifts a cover on his grain head, which harvests soybeans and wheat. He points to a casting and a pulley, which were both made in China. The drive chain he replaced on his corn planter last year is made in China, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you believe farmers make things out of? Steel, aluminum, and lumber, which have been tariffed recently<\/a>,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen you tariff China and when you tariff our trading partners, that hurts me, because that makes these parts more expensive<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n And while his costs are up, his sale price is down. Because of import taxes, countries aren\u2019t buying U.S. crops<\/a> like they used to. He\u2019s also got corn leftover from last year. And he\u2019s got to take whatever price his buyer offers, just like every other farmer.<\/p>\n Several parts inside Gibbs’ John Deere equipment were made in China. He says especially when a part needs replacing in the spring, he’ll pay whatever the dealer charges so he can fix it quickly, even if tariffs make them cost more.<\/p>\n Caleigh Wells\/Marketplace<\/p>\n \u201cThey kind of get stuck in the middle<\/a>,\u201d says economist Faith Parum at the American Farm Bureau Federation. \u201cWe’ve seen rising number of farm closures. We’ve also seen some rising number of farm bankruptcies.\u201d<\/p>\n Gibbs isn\u2019t that bad off yet, but he did delay buying fertilizer this year. And he\u2019s not the only farmer doing that.<\/p>\n \u201cI was talking with an ag retailer the other day. He’s like, \u2018My warehouse is still full.\u2019 And that’s not common for this time of year,\u201d says Melinda Witten with the Ohio AgriBusiness Association.<\/p>\n Gibbs expects to lose $100 for every acre he plants this year. He\u2019s been losing money since 2023.<\/p>\n \u201cHow long can you last, not making money? Apparently we\u2019re going to find out,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n The Trump administration has sent out billions in bridge payments<\/a> to farmers to get them through this year\u2019s harvest season \u2014 a program that Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said shows \u201cPresident Trump continues to put farmers first.\u201d Parum says even with a bailout from Washington, most corn, wheat, and soybean farmers<\/a> will still lose money this year.<\/p>\n Farmer Chris Gibbs does not like being reliant on government aid, but in the past two months, he\u2019s changed his stance.<\/p>\n![\"Chris](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ee1ba3-20260325-ohio-farmer-john-deere-600.jpg\")
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