Sustainable farmers close price gap as war drives cost up

MISSOULA, Montana — Rising grocery prices have made sustainably farmed food look more within reach for some shoppers, according to local producers.

A 2021 study in the journal PLOS-ONE found high prices were a major reason people did not buy more organic products.

As costs have climbed for farm inputs like gas and fertilizer, grocery prices also moved higher. Sustainable farmer Jon Turner said that created an opening for farms like his.

“Our costs haven't gone up to this level. So, we've been able to maintain our pricing. So now all of a sudden, the value's there, because our prices are comparable to prices of just regular produce that's grown in California,” Turner said.

Walter Schweitzer, president of the Montana Farmers Union, said some larger producers had been under pressure going back to trade policies during the first Trump administration.

He said some responded by changing how they operated so they relied less on the global supply chain.

“Their suppliers were charging more, so the cost of production was going up. Their buyers were paying less, so the cost of revenue was going down and they were losing money. So, a lot of conventional farmers started transitioning into organic agriculture. I see that might happen again in 2026,” Schweitzer said.

Turner said buying produce directly from farms like his could help both growers and customers. He said shoppers could see where their food came from and talk with the farmer.

“Now, if my stuff is close to what they have to pay for it in the store, and they can see the animals that it's coming from and talk to the farmer; it's a win-win. You're eating food that we know what we gave them to eat. There's no chemicals. It's just regular, good, honest food,” Turner said.