It’s been a tough year for Heath Donner’s family farm.
Located in the northeast corner of Arkansas in Mississippi County, the roughly 3,300 acres of land managed by Donner and his father produce cotton, corn, soybeans and peanuts.
Donner already anticipated challenges heading into the year amid inflated operating costs and weaker crop prices. Historic flooding in the first half of 2025 only made matters worse, wiping out as much as 25% of his corn yield.
Donner, a fifth-generation farmer, is no stranger to the business' ups and downs, but said this year is hitting farmers especially hard. One trade group is calling it an economic crisis hitting rural America.
“I've been around this my whole life, but it is as dark as I can remember,” Donner, 44, told USA TODAY.
