Crop and Beef Producer Weighs In on Elections and Farm Economy
Nov 03, 2026
A farmer from central Michigan expresses his frustration with policymakers' actions that have significantly increased production costs.
“Those guys got to start realizing what kind of impact they actually have down the road, they don’t seem to care.” - Lee Thelen
Lee Thelen, a farmer in St. Johns with nearly 50 years of experience, shares his concerns:
“I put 100 gallons of fuel in the combine this morning to be able to combine corn all day today,” he explains, “It cost me $556. That’s twice as much as we normally do. We’re paying extraordinarily high dollar amounts for fertilizer. There are no good deals on it.”
This year, Thelen has experienced losses in both his row crops and cattle due to various factors. Following the announcement of a temporary expansion of beef imports, the price of his cattle dropped by $500, significantly impacting his profits.
“The price that I get at the farm for my cattle dropped $500 that day, $500 off one head,” he states, “We were making really, really good profit. That $500 didn’t show up at the Costco meat market. It didn’t show up at Kroger’s. They basically robbed all of us producers.”
Thelen highlights the increased market volatility that has made it challenging for some farmers to stay in business.