Add in the high costs of planting last fall -- the spike in oil prices drove up the price of petroleum-based fertilizers , fuel and chemicals -- and the chances of making a profit this year look bleak . Jim Brown and his wife , Karen , farm 14,000 acres in southwestern Kansas . High crop yields in recent years have yielded profits for farmers such as the Sellards . But a lack of rain , falling prices and high fuel prices could spell trouble this year .
Jim Brown and his wife , Karen , farm 14,000 acres in southwestern Kansas . High crop yields in recent years have yielded profits for farmers such as the Sellards . But a lack of rain , falling prices and high fuel prices could spell trouble this year .