Across the U.S. farm belt, these have become depressing times. Farmers are facing another season of low prices, high costs and difficult decisions about how — or whether — to keep operating. Banks are cutting off some growers just as they urgently need cash. Thousands of workers are losing jobs as meatpacking plants close and farm equipment makers scale back. Strain inside the U.S. farm economy is mushrooming across rural America, from unsold tractors sitting on dealer lots to agribusiness companies reporting shrinking earnings, as abundant grain supplies weigh on markets.