Although there are several different factors contributing to the issue, growers have noticed the escalating cost of fertilizer the most.

"It's up probably forty to fifty bucks an acre over last year," said Chad Bruns, an Audrain County farmer.

According to University of Missouri agricultural economist Ron Plain, the increasing cost of nitrogen--an element in most fertilizers--is driving up the price. In addition, the demand for growers to provide the feed, fuel, and food needed worldwide is requiring that more crops be planted. More crops mean that more fertilizer is needed. For farmers, that adds up to higher costs.

Daryl Oldvader, the CEO at FCS Financial, says that as input costs go up there are more agricultural loans requested. Because grain prices are up, FCS Financial has been able to accommodate most of these requests. However, he doesn't see relief in sight for growers anytime soon.

"We could probably expect these types of input costs to be around awhile," Oldvader said. "There simply doesn't appear to be any offset in the capability to meet the demand for the energy side of the equation."

Oldvader suggested that growers who are thinking about applying for a loan first do a cash-flow analysis to understand where their break-even point is.