Lake County Farm Bureau President and fifth-generation Indiana farmer Dan Sutton does not have many pet peeves when it comes to managing his 1,200 acres of mixed-use farmland, but he has two — traffic and trash.
Bordering Illinois, Lake County, Indiana, represents a snapshot of the U.S. — an urban northern half with cities like Hammond and Gary, and a rural southern half that is home to some 300 farms.
Over the years, the urban and rural parts of the county have grown closer together, creating some tension between people commuting to the city for work and farmers who need to drive their tractors and combines on the road to produce the food that those commuters eat. Increased traffic is putting farmers’ lives at risk, as accidents have killed farmers over the years, Sutton told AgTechNavigator.
“As our urban areas grow, we need to explain to the people in our areas why I’m on that road with my tractor — why I am impeding their ability to get to or from work. And I want to have bumper stickers made up [that] just says, ‘I’m going to work too,’” Sutton elaborated.
More traffic results in more trash, which means Sutton and his team have to take time out of tending to their fields or animals to pick up trash, like mylar balloons and fast-food wrappers, he noted. Mylar balloons pose a particular challenge to the environment and animal health, as they do not decompose naturally and can be ingested by livestock.
“Please keep your trash in your vehicle — bottles, cups. I don’t need your McDonald’s stuff in my yard. ... If you want me to, I can throw my stuff in your yard,” Sutton joked.
How Indiana farmers are facing the current moment
Through his voluntary work as Lake County Farm Bureau President, Sutton brings attention to issues facing Indiana farmers, including through an Ag in the Classroom program that educates students on agriculture. In his day job, Sutton operates Sutton Farms Enterprises with his brother, Brian Sutton, where they produce non-GMO soybeans, grass-fed beef, and corn that is sold to Cargill.
Years ago, Sutton and his brother went direct-to-consumer with their grass-fed and organic beef operations, which “cut out the middleman,” allowing them to “capture all the premiums” from end-to-end beef production, Sutton explained. This means that they have to coordinate travel to a federally inspected processor, which is two hours away from the farm, he pointed out.
On the crop side, Sutton was one of many Midwest farmers who were able to dodge fertilizer price increases by purchasing in the wintertime, ahead of the Iran war. Two-thirds (67%) of Midwest farmers pre-purchased fertilizer, but 48% said that they could not afford all their needs, according to an American Farm Bureau Federation survey of 5,600 of its members, as AgTechNavigator reported.
“I bought all my chemicals in December. I bought all my fertilizer in February. So, these were times before those prices went up,” Sutton said.
He added, “If this continues, by October, November, December of this year, we could really see a problem because then guys will start to put on fall-applied nitrogen, anhydrous ammonia, which, if there were supply issues and or price issues, that would maybe change the crop choices in 2027. But none of us are overly concerned with it being a 2026 issue.”
Are farmers growing weary of government support?
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has signaled that more farmer assistance could be on its way to help offset rising fertilizer and chemical prices. This is an addition to $12 billion in one-time bridge payments in response to volatility last year, as AgTechNavigator previously reported.
In the farm economy, government assistance is “a touchy subject” because many farmers would prefer to operate without subsidies, but the current farm system is set up so farmers who do not take government support fall behind their competitors, Sutton explained.
“It is not a level playing field. If your neighbors are taking the money and you’re not, then you’re going to fall behind from a competitive standpoint,” he said.
He added, “Our United States Department of Agriculture has a policy of both the cheapest, best food supply in the world. In order to achieve those two things, you have to regulate ... the industry that produces that food supply.”
However, over time, a shift to less government support could be advantageous to the agriculture industry, Sutton noted. Cash rents would fall, and some farmers would retire, creating opportunities for people to enter the sector, he explained.
“If they were able to stop or wean agriculture off of those subsidies, agriculture, I believe, would still continue and potentially thrive, because you would more or less allow the free market to take its toll on the situation,” Sutton elaborated.
