CENTRAL WASHINGTON – Farmers around the world are feeling squeezed by the Iran war. Fuel prices have shot up and fertilizer supplies are waning due to Tehran’s near shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for U.S. and Israeli bombing.
In Washington, farmers say this is just one of many factors driving costs up and profitability down in recent years.
“Our prices are just continually escalated every year, and our returns actually have decreased,” said Blaine Smith, an apple farmer who own Bountiful Orchards near Wenatchee. “Put those two together, it’s not a good mathematical equation.”
2024 data from the USDA ranked Washington last in the nation in farm profitability, with farms losing on average about $396,000 that year. Rising manufacturing and labor costs are major contributing factors, plus a strong U.S. dollar and tough international competition that Washington is particularly vulnerable to.
More recent data, which will factor in the effects of the Iran war and tariffs, is expected later in 2026 and 2027.
Advocates have been speaking up to try to get state lawmakers to help farmowners in the state. Dillon Honcoop of Save Family Farming says we may see farms shut down because of the costs created by the war, but that is certainly not the only factor.
“While this may be a moment that presents a straw that breaks the camel’s back, what about all those other straws that were stacked up?” Honcoop said. “We need to get serious about that here in Washington state to deal with this issue if we want a future of family farming here in Washington.”
Farmers growing other crops than apples say they face similar threats.
In a statement, Geordy Bryant Greene, Director of Government Affairs at the Washington State Potato Commission, said, “This is a direct hit to growers. When conflict disrupts the Strait of Hormuz, you’re talking about immediate pressure on fuel and fertilizer; two inputs we can’t operate without. For Washington potato growers, that means higher diesel costs and tighter, more expensive nitrogen right as planting decisions are being made. And the reality is we’re already starting from behind, Washington ranks dead last in the country for farm returns, nearly $300 million in the negative, so when disruptions like this hit, it doesn’t just squeeze margins, it puts real operations at risk.”