Exclusive-US Farm Debt Is at a Record. Official Data Might Be Undercounting It

By P.J. Huffstutter CHICAGO, Oct 8 (Reuters) – American farmers are borrowing more money than ever before to operate — but the ?rise in ?non-traditional and vendor credit has created some gaps in the ?federal government’s current ability to measure and track farm debt, US Department of Agriculture officials told Reuters. Financial pressure is mounting across farm country, where growers ?have already faced years of tight margins due to slumping prices and high input costs. More recently, farmers have struggled with disruptions to export markets from Washington’s trade fights with top buyers including China, while the US-Israeli war with ?Iran…