Missouri farmers speak out about the importance of protecting their tools
Across the state, Missouri farmers are navigating rising input costs, tighter margins, and increasing uncertainty about access to the tools they rely on every day. At the same time, policy debates far from the farm are beginning to shape what’s possible in the field, raising real concerns about the future of their operations.
Farmers Dale Ludwig, Blake Hurst, Brooks Hurst, and Dan Ridgley reflect on a shared reality. Farming is getting harder, and the stakes are rising.
As Dan Ridgley explains, the financial pressure has intensified quickly:
In just the last year and a half, two years, it’s starting to get pretty tight. One concern is the rising cost of the inputs and what that is going to do to the American consumer.
For farmers like Blake Hurst, the challenges have grown in recent years:
Last few years have been very hard economically. I’ve seen my input prices increase by multiples of four, five, and sometimes six.
These pressures are forcing farmers to make difficult decisions about how to manage their operations. Efficiency matters more than ever, and small changes can have a big impact on the bottom line.
Crop protection tools are essential to Missouri farmers
At the center of these conversations are crop protection tools. For many Missouri growers, these tools are critical to staying in business.
Blake Hurst articulates the importance of these tools clearly:
We cannot farm without the tools that we have today or better tools. If we start losing the most important one, then we have to ask the question: what’s next?
Farmers also point out how much these tools have improved over time. Today’s products allow them to be more precise and more efficient in how they manage their fields.
As Brooks Hurst explains:
Almost every chemical we use now is very low impact. There’s not a lot of stuff that we can go back to that works as good as some of the stuff we do now. That’s our livelihood. So, we’ve got to protect our environment and be the most efficient. We want to put the least amount but most effective chemicals.
These modern tools also play a key role in conservation practices that protect soil and reduce resource use, making practices like no-till farming possible at scale.
Blake Hurst highlights that shift:
We’re totally no-till here and have been for over 30 years now. That’s possible because of a change in herbicides available which saves a tremendous amount of fuel and it saves an unbelievable amount of soil here in the rolling northwest Missouri hills.
These approaches help reduce erosion, conserve water, and lower fuel use while maintaining strong yields.
Farmers trust the tools they use
For many farmers, confidence in these tools comes from decades of firsthand experience.
Dale Ludwig has used glyphosate for much of his career and relies on it as part of his operation:
I’ve used glyphosate for 40 years. I totally believe glyphosate is one of the safest products on the market. Our families live on the farms that these products are going on. And if I thought there were any concerns with it, I certainly wouldn’t use it.
That trust comes from daily use and from the fact that farming is deeply personal. The decisions farmers make affect their families, their land, and their long-term livelihood.
What’s at stake goes beyond the farm
For Missouri farmers, these challenges extend beyond individual operations. They see a direct connection between their work and the strength and reliability of the nation’s food system.
Blake Hurst underscores that point:
America can’t be healthy without a strong farming industry. Food security is national security.
Dan Ridgley echoes the same concern:
Food security aka the American farmer is the number one line of national security. Politicians must protect American-made crop protection tools.
When farmers face rising costs and uncertainty about access to essential tools, those pressures don’t stay on the farm—they have real implications for the stability and resilience of our food system, and ultimately, drive higher grocery prices for families.
Missouri farmers are asking to be heard
Across Missouri, farmers are delivering a consistent message: despite managing mounting challenges, they are continuing to produce food efficiently and responsibly—and want policymakers to understand what’s at risk if they lose the tools that make this possible.
They are asking policymakers to recognize what’s at stake—not just for individual farms, but for the broader food system. Decisions about access to essential tools shape what farmers can produce, how they manage risk, and what families ultimately rely on every day.
The future of agriculture depends on whether farmers can continue to do their jobs effectively. That means maintaining access to essential tools, reducing unnecessary uncertainty, and ensuring policies reflect the realities of modern farming.
Missouri farmers are making their voices heard. Lawmakers should listen.