[U.S. agricultural debt hits record high; official statistics may be significantly underestimated] On October 9, the latest estimate from the U.S. Department of Agriculture showed that U.S. agricultural debt will exceed $605 billion this year, setting a record. However, non-traditional credit for suppliers, equipment manufacturers, etc. is expanding rapidly and is difficult to fully calculate, and the actual debt scale may be significantly underestimated. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said it has launched special tracking and assessed the risk of agricultural debt spreading to the overall economy. Affected by factors such as low agricultural product prices, high agricultural input costs, trade disputes impacting the export market, and the war in Iran pushing up fertilizer and fuel prices, U.S. farmers' financial pressure continues to increase, with bankruptcy filings rising and banks tightening credit. Adjusted for inflation, U.S. farm debt has more than doubled since 2000, rising from about $300 billion to more than $605 billion this year. (CCTV News)