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Chris Farrell and Karen Zamora

Are we on the cusp of another farm crisis?

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Between the U.S.-China trade war and the recent flooding in the Midwest, it has been a bad time for farmers.

According to a new report out of the University of Minnesota, farm income was down 8 percent last year — making it one of the least profitable years since the 1980s.

Are we on the brink of another farm crisis?

To help us explore that question this hour, guest host Chris Farrell spoke with an academic who shared what happened in the 1980s, when American farmers faced a real economic crisis.

And then an economist and a Minnesota farmer explored what's happening now.

Guests

• Jonathan Coppess — Clinical assistant professor of law and policy in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois

• Chad Hart — Associate economics professor and crop markets specialist at Iowa State University

• Michael Petefish — Soybean and corn farmer, and head of the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association

To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above.