McLean County crop outlook
Farmers across McLean County are heading into the 2026 harvest with cautious expectations as lower commodity prices, rising machinery costs and uneven crop development continue to shape the season. Regional crop budgets, national market forecasts and countywide field sampling all point to tighter margins than most producers would prefer.
North Dakota State University Extension’s 2026 crop budgets set the tone early. The annual projections show “projected profitability is low or negative for most crops,” driven largely by lower prices and higher ownership and repair costs. Fertilizer rates may be lighter this year thanks to strong soil fertility after last fall’s warm, wet weather, but fertilizer prices themselves remain elevated. Chemical costs are mostly unchanged, fuel and interest expenses are down, and machinery ownership and repair costs continue to climb.
The budgets don’t offer countyspecific numbers, but they remain the baseline planning tool used by Extension agents and producers across the state when weighing planting decisions and expected returns.