A report from the American Farm Bureau Federation shows that farm bankruptcies jumped by 46% across the nation. In Wisconsin alone, there were only 2 bankruptcy filings each in 2023 and 2024. But in 2025, that number leapt up to sixteen filings.
The reasons for this massive increase in bankruptcies should not be a surprise to anyone. They include lost markets due to Trump's illegal tariffs and ballooning costs due to Trumpflation. Everything a farm needs to operate jumped in cost, but farmers weren't getting nearly enough back to meet their costs.
Another factor adding to the farmers' woes was the labor issue. With fewer migrant workers, labor costs rose, squeezing farmers even more.
In Trump's first term, his tariffs and his war on immigrants caused Wisconsin dairy farms to close at a rate of two per day. To do the same thing and expect different results is the definition of insanity - or in Trump's case, dementia.
Unsurprisingly, experts are warning that 2026 is going to be more of the same, only worse.
