# How are farmers coping with rising costs and uncertainty?

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/mpr-news-with-angela-davis-239489/how-are-farmers-coping-with-rising-costs-and-uncertainty
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/mpr-news-with-angela-davis-239489/how-are-farmers-coping-with-rising-costs-and-uncertainty.md
Podcast: [MPR News with Angela Davis](https://stenobird.com/podcast/mpr-news-with-angela-davis-239489)
Published: 2026-04-06T14:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.mprnews.org/episode/2026/04/06/how-are-farmers-coping-with-rising-costs-and-uncertainty
Audio file: https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/mgln.ai/e/5/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/play.publicradio.org/podcast/o/minnesota/podcasts/angela-davis/2026/04/06/ad-farming-update_20260406_64.mp3
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Duration seconds: 2792

## Resource

This is a time of real uncertainty for agriculture in Minnesota. Crop prices are fluctuating, the cost of fuel and fertilizer remains high, and tariffs and global trade uncertainty are adding another layer of pressure on farmers trying to make a profit. As spring planting season begins, farmers need to make some big decisions — facing a lot of unknowns. For many families, farming is not just tied to income, but to identity, tradition, and generations of work. So when things feel unstable, the impact goes far beyond the farm. MPR News host Angela Davis talks about how Minnesota farmers are managing the challenges. Guests: Thom Petersen is the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Before being appointed commissioner, he was the director of government relations for the Minnesota Farmers Union. He has spent most of his life working for a horse and farm business. Megan Horsager is a farmer in Chippewa County. She works on Stevens farms with her family, where they raise sugar beets, corn, soybeans, alfalfa and silage. Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts , Spotify or RSS . Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

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## Transcript

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