In the American Heartland, farmers are literally betting the farm to stay in business

NPR | By Kirk Siegler

Published April 20, 2026 at 5:00 PM EDT

American farmers hope the Iran ceasefire holds and fertilizer and diesel start moving through the Strait of Hormuz soon, as row crop farmers go into their fourth straight planting season in the red.

Kirk Siegler

As a correspondent on NPR's national desk, Kirk Siegler covers rural life, culture and politics from his base in Boise, Idaho.

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