Farm bankruptcies in the United States jumped 24 percent in September to its highest level since 2011. Nebraska had three more Chapter 12 bankruptcy filings in September bringing the year to date total to 35. That’s eight more than all of last year and more than in any full year since 2003. Nebraska Farm Bureau Senior Economist Jay Rempe says those rising numbers are a huge concern for the agricultural economy.

He says the continuing trade war with China is one of the reasons leading to those bankruptcies along with several other factors.

Rempe says federal farm payments along with disaster assistance, insurance and market facilitation program payments are helping some producers keep their heads above water. Without those, the economic impacts would be worse.

He says what would help farmers and ranchers economically is more export markets, some of which are on the table.

The trade war and two years of adverse weather have been tough on producers.